


New Girl - The Missing Files

by tiffaniesblews



Series: Living in Loft 4D [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Continuation, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Mild Smut, Multi, New Girl au, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, and they were ROOMMATES, oh my god they were roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:15:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28059039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiffaniesblews/pseuds/tiffaniesblews
Summary: Girl loves boy. Boy cheats on girl. Girl moves out of her house and into a loft with her brother and his two friends from college.What happened in the loft? What shenanigans did the gang get into behind the scenes? This is a New Girl continuation.
Relationships: Aang & Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Aang & Suki (Avatar), Aang/Toph Beifong, Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Suki (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: Living in Loft 4D [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055375
Comments: 59
Kudos: 76





	1. The Towel

**Author's Note:**

> So, I miss writing the New Girl AU. Like a lot. Not only that, but I started rewatching New Girl (for the 3rd time this year mind you) and the amount of scenes I forgot about!
> 
> And somehow, a few friends convinced me to write a sort of continuation, a "what happened here?" type work. So here it is - the lost files! What happened the night Sokka and Suki got together? How often were Zuko and Katara domestic? Tell us more about those knitting circles! We want more Taang! 
> 
> This is honestly just me being self indulgent and missing this work, but if you read the original, then I do hope you enjoy this work as well!
> 
> The first chapter takes place in between Chapter 2 "Kryptonite" and Chapter 3 "Adore You" of the original work.

About two weeks after Katara moved into the loft, on Saturday, Sokka was in the shower looking at all of the new shampoos and body washes now piled up on the shelf. He took one off the shelf, squinting at the label through the water that fell into his eyes. Why the hell did Katara need so much shampoo? Had she always needed this much shampoo? Shaking his head, he placed the shampoo back on the shelf and turned the water off.

“Hey, no one is in here right!” he called out, tilting his head to the side as he waited. Ever since Katara moved in, Suki had been known to come over and while Sokka  _ wanted  _ Suki to see him, he also wanted to avoid her taunting him for trying to impress him. 

When he didn’t get an answer, he stuck his hand out of the shower and grabbed the blue towel hanging on the hook just outside the shower. As he wrapped it around himself, he couldn’t help but feel the moisture on the towel.

“Ugh!” he exclaimed, still tightening the towel around his waist and stepping out of the shower. “How are you still wet, I used you yesterday!” 

Just then, Katara walked in. 

“Hey, hey!” Sokka said, cowering towards the shower. “I’m in here!”

“This is a communal bathroom, Sokka,” Katara replied, rolling her eyes. “You guys have two urinals and a stall. Get used to it.”

“Well, I just got out of the shower,” Sokka told her motioning to the towel around his waist. 

“And I need to brush my teeth,” Katara bit back, grabbing her toothbrush off the sink. “So, get out then.”

“Listen, Katara, I love you, you’re my baby sister,” Sokka stated, “but don’t make me regret allowing you to move in with me.”

“Allowing me, huh?” Katara replied, squeezing toothpaste onto her toothbrush. “Really? Was this not a group decision?”

“Zuko was pretty against it at first,” Sokka stated, shrugging his shoulders. “So, really, if you think about it,  _ he  _ allowed you to move in.”

Katara stuck her brush in her mouth and turned around, arching her eyebrows. 

“But, uh, he’s not here right now,” Sokka continued, realizing his blunder. “So, I am going to go.”

“Good idea,” Katara smirked through her mouth full of toothpaste as she turned back around to look in the mirror.

Sokka shook his head and made his way out of the bathroom, spotting Zuko coming out of his room as he headed down the hallway.

“Man, I wish you convinced me harder not to let my sister move in,” Sokka told him as he walked by still holding the damp towel on his waist. 

Zuko blinked in surprise. “Okay, uh, why?”

“Because I hate that she can come into the bathroom while I’m showering,” Sokka told him, shaking his head. “Plus, all of her stuff has taken over the bathroom! How does one girl need so much hair care product!”

“Sokka, to be honest, you have just as much hair care product as you sister,” Zuko pointed out, raising his lone eyebrow. “And her hair is curlier than yours, so at least her reasoning makes sense.”

“I thought you were on my side!” Sokka exclaimed. 

Just then Katara made her way out of the bathroom. 

“Your brother told me he doesn’t like you living here,” Zuko told her, grinning at Katara. 

“Zuko, I thought you were on my side!” Sokka repeated, hitting Zuko with the hand not holding the towel around his waist. “I can’t believe you’re going to expose me like this!”

“Well, Zuko, Sokka did tell me you voted against me moving in at first, so it looks like you guys are tied huh?” Katara said, raising her eyebrows at Zuko who turned bright red in return. 

Sokka couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s discomfort. “Looks like we’re both under the bus, huh buddy?”

“Guess so,” Zuko muttered, shouldering his way past Sokka and Katara. “I gotta head out, I have work.”

Both Sokka and Katara watched as Zuko made his way down the hall towards the front door. 

“I think that might have been the first time I’ve actually seen him smile,” Katara noted as the door slammed behind Zuko. “At least willingly. I mean, I get a few grins here and there, but this one seemed genuine.” 

“That’s Zuko for you,” Sokka replied, shrugging. “I got to go get dressed and do something about this stupid towel.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Katara asked, looking at her brother with confusion. 

“It’s wet,” Sokka explained simply. 

“Sokka… you just got out of the shower,” Katara told him, shaking her head. “Of course it’s wet.”

“I mean it was wet when I got out of the shower!” Sokka exclaimed. “Keep up, Kat.”

Katara just shook her head again. “Whatever, Sokka. Go get clothes on, Suki will be here soon.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sokka replied, saluting his sister and making his way to his room. 

He'll figure out the towel situation later. And he was lying when he said he hates living with his sister again; he really did enjoy having her here. 

* * *

Katara thought she would hate living with her brother, hate living with his two guy friends from college. For some reason, she thought living with her brother was going to be constant parties, drinking at all hours of the day, and a rotation of girls through the loft. She was pleasantly surprised to realize that only one of those three things were true. 

“He drinks at all hours of the day?” Suki asked, sitting on Katara’s bed as Katara finished putting her laundry away. “What guy works at a bar and then comes home to drink at whatever time he wants?”

“Zuko apparently,” Katara replied, placing a dress on a hanger and finding room for it in her closet. 

“Hm,” Suki hummed as Katara turned back around, hands on her hips. 

“What?” Katara asked, heading towards the bed and sitting next to Suki. “He’s really not that bad of a guy. Nice once you get to know him.”

“Okay, but do you even know him?” Suki asked in her return, tilting her head to the side. “He barely even speaks.”

“Probably not to you,” Katara pointed out. “Though, to be honest, you’re right. He doesn’t speak a lot, but he does listen.” 

“Really?” Suki raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

“Seriously, I come home ready to talk and he just sits there and listens,” Katara told her. “It’s really nice actually.”

“I need you to do something for me,” Suki said, sitting up farther on the bed and crossing her legs. 

“Okay, what?” Katara asked. 

“Promise me you will not fall for either Zuko or Aang,” Suki said, taking Katara’s hands in hers. 

Katara started laughing. “ _ What _ ?”

“Listen, if you catch feelings for either of them, then living here is going to get super awkward,” Suki explained, squeezing Katara’s hands. “I’m serious! You already live with your brother, what happens if you start to like one of the boys?”

“Suki, seriously?” Katara asked, taking her hands out of Suki’s. “You’re being ridiculous. Aang is the sweetest guy ever, but I don’t think I would ever fall for him. And Zuko…”

Katara stopped. What about Zuko?

“Zuko’s too grumpy,” Katara finished, as Suki looked at her with a smirk. 

“Uh oh, you’re already falling,” Suki teased.

“No way, Suki! I think your mind is playing tricks on you,” Katara stated, reaching over and shoving Suki. 

“Maaaaaybe,” Suki replied with a sing-song in her voice. 

The two girls fell into giggles just as Katara’s door opened.

“ _ Sokka _ !” Katara yelled, turning around and glaring at her brother. “Knock first!”

“I’m doing laundry,” Sokka told her, ignoring the glare Katara shot him. “That damn towel is going to get clean.”

“So you have to tell me because…?”

“Do you have any laundry?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “I’m trying to be a good big brother. So, laundry or no?”

“Nothing, I just finished, but thanks,” Katara replied.

Sokka shrugged and closed the door, his steps receding down the hall towards the washer and dryer.

“Towel?” Suki asked, a confused look on her face. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Katara replied, shaking her head. “Just my brother being my brother.”

“Gotcha,” Suki said, nodding. “I forgot not to ask.”

“Speaking of my brother,” Katara smirked, “you guys were getting along the other day when I went to get my shit from Jet.”

Suki waved her hand. “Just bonding over the fact that we hate your ex-boyfriend, no need to make a big deal out of it.” 

“Ooookay,” Katara replied, grinning wickedly. “If I can’t fall for the boys, then you can’t fall for my brother.”

“Oh, honey, that ship has so far sailed,” Suki replied, putting her hand out for Katara to shake. 

“So it’s a deal?” Katara asked, grabbing Suki’s hand. 

“Hell yes.”

The two girls shook hands, grins on both their faces, before dissolving into giggles once more. 

* * *

That night, Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee were sitting in the living room, movies spread out on the floor as they tried to decide how to spend movie night. Should they go classic, fantasy, action, romance? It was hard to choose at a time like this.

“You’re sure the boys don’t mind that we’re here?” Ty Lee asked for the third time that night.

“Yes, Ty Lee, I’m sure,” Katara assured her. “Aang is with his grandfather out of town, Zuko will be at work until later tonight, and Sokka is just in his room being Sokka.”

“By ‘being Sokka’, Katara means he’s stressing out over a towel,” Suki explained. 

Ty Lee opened her mouth to ask, but decided against it. Instead, she leaned forward and picked up  _ Clueless _ , giving the girls a knowing look. 

“As if!” Suki and Katara both yelled in unison, and Ty Lee began laughing. 

“Sweet!” Ty Lee replied, passing the movie to Katara who went to pop it into the DVD player.

Just as the girls settled onto the couch, Katara fast forwarding through all the trailers, Sokka came out of his room. 

“Seriously?” he asked, glancing at the TV. “ _ Clueless _ ?” 

“It’s a classic film,” Katara told him, Suki and Ty Lee nodding alongside her. “Cher is a style icon.” 

“And she literally gets together with her brother in the end,” Sokka stated, making a face. “Is that not weird to you all?”

“First of all, he  _ was  _ her step brother,” Suki explained, shaking her head up at Sokka. “Second of all, it’s Paul Rudd.”

“Still,” Sokka said, rolling his eyes. 

“How’s the towel situation,” Suki teased, causing Sokka to go red. 

“Fine, fine,” Sokka replied. “I’ll crack that mystery eventually.”

Katara paused the movie, despite the fact that they didn’t get very far, and sat up to look at her brother. “Listen, I’ve been thinking. Why don’t we just get bars to hold the towels instead of hooks? That way the towels dry faster?”

“Well, that’s -” Sokka started, holding his finger up to point at Katara. But he stopped, thinking a bit. “Well, that’s actually a good idea.”

Katara smirked and sat back down. “I know. Now get out so we can watch our movie.”

Sokka grunted as Katara pressed play again, making his way back to the bathroom. 

“Your brother sure is something else,” Ty Lee commented as the movie finally starts. 

“Yeah, he is,” Suki added, but there is something in her voice that caused Katara to look at her. 

Suki wasn’t watching the movie; instead, she was looking towards the hallway where Sokka had disappeared. Katara didn’t say anything as her friend turned back around, catching her eye. 

“What?” Suki asked, somewhat defensively. 

“Nothing, nothing,” Katara said, looking back towards the TV. “Nothing at all.”

Suki elbowed Katara in the ribs before finally paying attention to the movie.

About an hour into the movie, the front door opened and Aang came striding in with a bag in his hand. Sighing, Katara paused the movie. 

“Don’t let me stop you!” Aang said, placing the bag on the ground to welcome Appa who had just run into the room. 

“It’s not you, it’s Appa,” Katara replied. As if sensing her thoughts, Appa began barking excitedly, jumping up at Aang and licking his face. 

“Ah, sorry,” Aang replied, wincing as Appa’s barking got louder. “Appa, buddy, shush.”

Appa finally calmed down enough, but not before running over to the girls and began begging them for head scratches. 

“Aang! Buddy!” Sokka yelled, bursting from down the hall. 

“Have you been in the bathroom this whole time, Sokka?” Suki asked, raising her eyebrow. “What on earth were you doing?”

“Stole Zuko’s tools and began taking off the hooks,” Sokka explained, heading towards the bag that Aang dropped and opening it up. “Aha! You got the bars!”

“Weirdest thing you’ve asked me for,” Aang replied, sitting down on the couch next to Suki. “Mind if I join you ladies?  _ Clueless  _ is a classic.”

“Be our guest,” Katara replied, leaning back on the couch and pressing play once again. 

The four settled once more, Sokka making his way back to the bathroom to hang the bars up. The three girls had seen this movie so many times, that they were quoting along, Aang watching them in fascination. 

Katara liked living in the loft. She liked living with her brother, Aang, and Zuko. She liked the idea of having a place to call home, a place where Suki and Ty Lee can come over with someone being mad at her for having friends. Luckily, Aang got along so well with both girls, and for that, Katara was so thankful.

* * *

The next morning, Sokka was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and admiring his work on the wall. While Katara, Suki, Ty Lee and Aang were all watching their movie, Sokka took it into his own hands to make some changes around here. Something needed to be done about wet towels and all the hair care products cramped on the shelf. 

Last night, he put the bars up on the wall to replace the hooks, hung up each towel on its own bar, and then organized everyone’s belongings so that they were together. 

Grinning at his work, he quickly spit out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth. Out of curiosity, he reached out and grabbed his towel, but as soon as he grabbed it, he noticed that instead of being dry and fluffy, it was soaking wet.

“What the hell!” he said, dropping the towel angrily. “Everyone, bathroom, now!”

He listened to the sound of footsteps coming from down the hall, everyone spilling into the bathroom.

“What’s up, Sokka?” Katara asked, coming into the bathroom so the others could join them.

“Yes, Sokka, what’s going on,” Zuko asked, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms. 

“Feel this towel!” he demanded, grabbing the blue towel once more and holding it up.

Out of curiosity, Aang made his way over to Sokka and grabbed the towel from his hand. “Huh, it’s wet.”

“Right!” Sokka claimed, grabbing the towel from Aang’s hand. Katara and Aang exchanged a look, but didn’t say anything.

Suki appeared at the doorway next to Zuko. “I know this isn’t my loft, not my problem, but is this the towel thing again?”

“I’m just so confused!” Sokka exclaimed, throwing the towel down. “I washed it last night and hung it up nice and dry! How did this happen to my towel!”

“Well, I’ll tell you this, pal,” Zuko said, pointing at the towel, “that’s not your towel. It’s  _ my  _ towel.”

“What?” Sokka asked, blinking at Zuko. “Your towel?”

“Yep,” Zuko said, pushing himself up from the door frame and shrugging. 

“No, the red towel is your towel,” Sokka exclaimed, pointing the red towel farthest from the shower. “The blue one is mine.”

Katara reached over to the red towel, feeling it in her hands. “This towel is so warm and fluffy, it’s like it was left in the sun all day!” 

“Oh Spirits!” Sokka stated, throwing his hands up in the air. 

“You guys have been drying your junk on the same towel,” Aang said, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing. 

“Intimate,” Suki added, looking back and forth between Zuko and Sokka, the latter who was seething.

“Do you at least  _ wash  _ the towel?” Sokka asked, pointing at Zuko.

“No, I don’t wash the towel,” Zuko stated, shaking his head, “the towel washes me.” 

Sokka gagged. “Oh Spirits.”

“You don’t wash your towel?” Suki asked Zuko, looking at him with disgust.

“You wash your towel?” Zuko asked her, tilting his head. 

“Wow,” Suki said, shaking her head. 

“Time to go,” Katara said, dropping the red towel in her hand and grabbing Suki. Together, the two make their way out of the bathroom.

“What, do you wear my underwear too?” they could hear Sokka ask Zuko.

“I’m not that bad, Sokka,” Zuko retorted, causing the girls to laugh. 

“Yeah, you’re right, Suki,” Katara said as they make it back to the living room where Ty Lee sits on the couch scrolling on her phone. “Definitely going to fall for that.”

“You never know,” Suki teased, pushing Ty Lee’s legs aside and sitting down next to her. 

“I won’t,” Katara replied, “trust me.”

She had already told herself she would not fall for Zuko. She had done that the night after he had helped her get her shit from Jet. Zuko was a great guy, and already a good friend, but she was not going to ruin the already precarious nature of the loft. 


	2. The Landlord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The loft is falling apart. Zuko and Sokka insist they don't need a plumber, but Katara takes it into her own hands and decides to enlists the landlord's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot BELIEVE I forgot Remy the landlord in my original fic. Who even am I? Hopefully you all enjoy who I made the landlord in this rendition. Also, I had to split this chapter up into two separate chapters, so part 2 will be posted either tomorrow or the day after. 
> 
> This chapter can be placed between Chapter 4 (Approval) and Chapter 5 (Love, Sex, Death) of the original work.

Katara sat in front of the broken kitchen sink, watching as the water shot out from the faucet. Tongue in her cheek, she didn’t even know how to react to the situation. At this point, she was used to everything falling apart in the loft, and she really wasn’t that surprised when she went to go turn on the sink and it immediately sprayed her, soaking her thoroughly. 

“Hey, Katara, what are -” She turned to find Zuko standing there, head titled as he watched the scene in front of him unfold. “Huh. Are you, uh, going to do anything?” 

“Nope,” Katara replied, shaking her head and turning back towards the sink. “Not sure what I’m going to do, but stand here and just accept my fate.”

Zuko walked over to her, standing next to her and crossing his arms. “Interesting choice.” 

“Beats trying to fix it,” Katara stated. 

Zuko looked at her, and Katara did her best to ignore the way Zuko stared at the wet fabric that clinged to her skin. This was the second time she caught him looking at her, but Katara refused to think anything of it. Suki already seemed to retract on the promise she made Katara take, and now seems to think Zuko was attracted to her.

“Hm,” he hummed, finally looking away from her and focusing back on the sink. “I mean, I could try and fix it.”

“Why don’t we just… hire a plumber like Sokka said?” Katara offered. “That way it won’t break again.”

“I mean, sure, but I don’t have the money for a plumber,” Zuko told her. Katara was just about to retort, when Zuko held up a hand to stop her. “I know you and Sokka both do, but I hate not being able to pitch in. Really, Katara, I can fix it.”

Katara just nodded in return. “Fine. But we should probably let the landlord know, right?”

“Spirits, no, that guy’s the worst,” Zuko replied, shaking his head. “Don’t go to him, seriously.”

“But maybe he can fix this?” Katara said, now pointing at the puddle amassing on the floor. 

“Probably,” Zuko stated, “but no, we stay away from him. Now, let me go get my toolbox. Why don’t you go put on some dry clothes.”

“Why, wet clothes make you uncomfortable?” Katara teased, poking Zuko’s arm. 

“No,” Zuko replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re shivering.”

Katara opened her mouth to reply, but he was right. Instinctively, Katara wrapped her arms around herself to stop her body from shaking, giving Zuko a timid smile. He just shook his head and walked away. Katara took one last look at the sink before making her way back to her room to change. 

When she came back to the kitchen, Zuko was already hard at work underneath the sink. He lay on his back, his tool box next him. It seemed like he turned the water off as the sink was no longer spewing water. Not only that, but there was now a towel on the floor absorbing the puddle on the floor. 

“Need help?” Katara asked, bending down so that she was next to Zuko. 

He peeked out from under the sink. “Nah. If you want to clean the mess you made though, that would be nice.” 

“Low blow there, Zuko,” Katara laughed. But she got up nonetheless and started mopping up the water with the towel. 

Once she finished cleaning, she quickly brought the towel to the washer and started a load. She then head back to Zuko, sitting down on the floor next to him and leaning up against the cabinet. 

“Hand me that wrench, will you?” Zuko asked, holding his out from under the cabinet expectantly at Katara. Doing as she was told, Katara reached over to the toolbox, grabbed the wrench, and handed it to Zuko.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Katara asked, biting her lip as Zuko continued working. 

Katara heard a _clang_ , followed by Zuko exclaiming, “Ouch! Shit!”

“My guess is no,” Katara replied, placing her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. 

“I know what I’m doing,” Zuko snapped, but Katara just rolled her eyes. He slid out from under the sink and looked at her; Katara couldn’t tell if he was offended by her lack of faith, or actually amused by her teasing. “You don’t think I can handle a broken sink?”

“Well, considering this is the second time it’s broken since I moved in almost two momths ago?” Katara asked, placing a finger on her chin and pretending to be deep in thought. “Hmm, no.”

Zuko shook his head and went back under the sink. “I can handle it.”

“Whatever you say, grumpy,” Katara retorted. 

Zuko just huffed in return and continued focusing on the task ahead of him. Katara sat next to him, occasionally handing him a tool whenever he held out his hand for one. She listened to the clanging as well as the occasional swearing that Zuko muttered under his breath. Really, it would be easier to hire a plumber, but if she could just go to the landlord, maybe this sink will finally be fixed. 

The front door opened and Sokka came stalking in, dropping his work bag on the floor and making his way to the kitchen. He paused in front of the island, noticing Katara on the floor and Zuko under the sink.

“Let me guess,” Sokka stated, crossing his arms, “the sink broke.”

“Looks like a burst pipe,” Zuko answered, finally sliding out from under the sink and sitting up. He grabbed the handkerchief hanging off the side of his toolbox and wiped his hands. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Zuko, we can hire a plumber,” Sokka told him, shaking his head. “Come on, just let me pay for it.”

“And I told you, no,” Zuko replied, grabbing his toolbox and standing up. “I hate feeling like I owe you something, especially when I know I can fix it.”

He dropped his toolbox on the island and turned around, offering his hand to Katara, who just looked at it curiously. 

“I cleaned my hands, Katara,” Zuko pointed out. “Promise.”

Slowly, Katara took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. 

“Uh, thanks,” she told him, quickly dropping his hand. 

Zuko shrugged. “Sure, thanks for helping me.”

Sokka walked over to the sink, staring at it with curiosity. 

“I fixed it,” Zuko snapped. “Trust me.”

As if to prove Zuko wrong, Sokka turned on the sink; however, the pipes in the cabinet just creaked before a small stream of water began trickling from the faucet. Sokka turned to Zuko triumphantly. 

“Shit,” Zuko groaned, leaning his head back and closing his eyes in disappointment. 

“Hey, if we don’t want to pay for a plumber,” Katara offered, once again, “why don’t we talk to the landlord.

“No!” Zuko and Sokka yelled in unison. 

Katara blinked at them in confusion. 

“Just, let us handle this, okay, Kat?” Sokka told her, turning the sink off. “Trust us, that guy sucks, just stay away from him.”

“But if he’s the landlord, then maybe we won’t have to pay for his service,” Katara pointed out. 

“Listen to your brother, Katara,” Zuko told her. “Just let me handle this.”

“But -” Katara started, but Sokka just held his hand up.

“We can handle this,” Sokka interrupted.

“ _I_ can handle this,” Zuko emphasized, crossing his arms at Sokka. “Don’t you dare call the plumber.”

Instead of arguing with either boy, Katara just rolled her eyes and shouldered her way past Zuko and Sokka. As she walked towards her room, she could hear Sokka and Zuko continuing to bicker. Katara so badly wanted to just call the plumber herself and get the sink fixed when no one was watching, but she knew that would somehow cause problems in the loft if she did so.

Plus, what was so bad about the landlord? Surely he can’t be the worst guy in the world, can he? Maybe if she butters him up enough, he would be willing to come to the loft and fix not just the sink, but other broken facilities around the loft that Zuko ‘fixed’. Really, what could be so bad about that? 

In her room, Katara sat on her bed, trying to decide what to do. She _could_ bake a bunch of cookies and then bring them downstairs to the landlord and politely ask him to come check out the loft. Or she _could_ follow Zuko and Sokka’s advice and just sit still as she lets Zuko ‘fix’ the sink once more. 

Well, what’s a girl to do?

* * *

The next day, after school, Katara got home and immediately went over to the kitchen. Carefully, she turned the sink on, but there was still a trickle of water coming from the faucet. Looks like Zuko gave up last night, and Katara wasn’t really surprised. 

Sighing deeply, she opened the fridge and took out a roll of premade cookie dough. Usually Katara liked to make cookies from scratch, especially using her Gran Gran’s special recipe, but she was on a tight schedule and she needed this sink fixed now. She preheated the oven to 360 degrees, then set each cookie on the cookie sheet making sure that they are well enough apart so they didn’t accidentally stick together. When the oven beeped, Katara stuck the cookies in the oven and made her way to her room to change into a more casual pair of jeans and a shirt. Who cares if the landlord sucks, she was going to impress him no matter what. 

Going back into the kitchen, she heard Zuko’s door open.

“Are you making cookies?” he asked, coming into the kitchen and sitting at the island, watching Katara grab a plate from the cabinet. 

“Why, yes I am,” Katara replied, grinning at Zuko.

“Uh, why?” Zuko asked, arching his eyebrow. 

“Maybe as a way to thank you for fixing the sink?” Katara retorted, opening the oven slightly to check on the cookies. They were still baking, rising slowly. 

“That’s complete bullshit, Katara, but nice try,” Zuko said, placing his elbows on the island and leaning towards Katara. “You know, you’re not the best liar.”

“Neither are you,” Katara stated, turning back around and leaning forward on the island to stare at Zuko. 

“K, then why are you baking cookies?” he repeated.

“Maybe I just love cookies,” Katara replied, refusing to give him an answer. “Or I want to surprise Haru next time I see him. None of your business.” 

Zuko shook his head and got up. “Whatever, I’m going to shower. I have work soon.”

Katara stuck her tongue out at the back of his head as he walked away. How could a guy be so grumpy all the time? She’s sure she’ll crack him eventually, but for now, she’s content that at least he’s willing to put up with her shit enough to at least talk to her. And listen to her. And - Spirits, he did tend to spend a lot of time with her, didn’t he? No, he was probably just being nice to her; he probably thought she was still fragile after her breakup with Jet. Then again, she was with Haru now, so maybe he did just genuinely enjoy her company. No, this was a problem for another day. 

The oven beeped behind her, and Katara took out an oven mitt and grabbed the cookies from the oven, placing them on the stove on top. She grabbed a spatula out from on the meticulous drawers that Sokka set up and got to work placing the cookies nicely on the plate she had grabbed. Feeling bad, she set a few of the cookies aside on another plate; Sokka would be home from work soon, and so would Aang. Surely Zuko might want a cookie before leaving for work too, right? She admired her work for a second before picking up the cookies and making her way out of the loft. 

In the hallway, though, Katara paused. Sokka and Zuko did say to stay away from the landlord. They did say he was the absolute worst. No, they’re just being dramatic, Katara decided, and she pressed the elevator button with her free hand. Luckily, it was working today.

Down she went to the basement where she heard the landlord lived. At the bottom floor, the elevator doors creaked open, and Katara carefully stepped into the long, dark hallway. Turning her head right, she noticed a door at the end of the hallway. Getting closer to it, she read the words “LANDLORD” and figured she was in the right place. 

Taking a breath, Katara knocked with her free hand and waited for someone to answer. 

A beat.

She knocked again, this time harder. Still no answer. Out of curiosity, she turned the doorknob and found the door to be unlocked. Taking her chance, she pushed the door open and stuck her head inside, trying to see if anyone was home.

“Hello?” she called out, taking a step into the small apartment. “Anyone home?”

“What are you doing here?” came a harsh voice from Katara’s left, causing Katara to jump. She looked over, spotting an older man with sideburns down to his cheeks, wearing dirty jeans and a sweatshirt, a hammer in his hand. 

“Oh, uh, Mr. Landlord sir,” Katara stuttered, trying to smile politely and not focus solely on the hammer in the man’s hands. “I was looking for you.”

“You found me,” the man grunted, staring at Katara. “Why are you in my home?”

“Well, I did knock,” Katara pointed out. When the man just squinted at her, Katara decided it was time to change tactics. She held up the cookies in her hands and said, “I made you some cookies.” 

The man huffed. 

“You know as a… thank you?” Katara tried, still holding the cookies up for the landlord to see.

Still, he said nothing. 

“I’m just going to…” Katara placed the cookies down on the table next to the door, pushing aside grimy tools and rags as she did. 

“Whatever,” the landlord grunted, walking towards her. Katara tensed, but he walked on by her towards his tiny workspace in the corner instead.

Katara looked around. “What a lovely home you have.”

“Humph.”

“I like the drawing,” Katara stated, pointed at a drawing of stick figures hanging on the wall next to the tiny TV that squats in the corner. “Did your kids draw that?”

“I did,” the landlord snapped, turning around and glaring at Katara. “What do you want? You must want something because you’re still here.”

“Well, it’s about my loft, 4D,” Katara explained, fiddling with her long braid that lay over her shoulder. “You see, it’s...broken.”

“Broken?” the landlord asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“The sink, the toilet, there are some… holes here and there,” Katara told him. “I was just wondering if you might be able to fix them? You know as our landlord.”

“Hire a professional,” the landlord snapped, turning around once again, this time finally putting down the hammer he was holding. It landed on his desk with a definitive _smack_.

Katara winced. “Well, we could, but we don’t really have the money right now. Plus, do you really want the four of us -”

“The four of you?” the landlord interrupted, turning around for the last time, this time paying close attention to what Katara was saying. “There should only be three people in apartment 4D.”

“Oh, well, uh, really, um,” Katara stuttered, cursing herself for being so stupid. “I was… counting myself. Ha! Big personality over here, am I right?”

The landlord just continued glaring at Katara. 

“Well, I see you’re not going to help us, so thanks!” Katara exclaimed, turning around and running out of the apartment. Behind her, the landlord cursed. 

Deciding to forgo the elevator, Katara ran to the stairs and ran all the way up, three at a time, to the fourth floor. 

When she burst into the loft, she wasn’t surprised to find the three boys now eating her cookies. Sokka looked at her, cookie in one hand.

“What’s up, Katara?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Also, these cookies aren’t as good as your-”

“So, uh, well, you know how you told me _not_ to go to the landlord?” Katara stated, fiddling with her hands, feeling herself go hot.

“You _didn’t_ ,” Zuko snapped, hitting his forehead with his hand. 

“ _Katara_ , I warned you!” Sokka added, throwing his cookie down. “Well, what happened?”

“Uh, well, no one told me there could only be three people in this loft,” Katara replied, grimacing. 

“Shit, we forgot to tell her!” Aang stated, looking at Katara. “You didn’t tell him about Appa and Momo, did you?”

“No?” Katara replied, but she’s not surprised that Appa and Momo were just as unwanted as she was. 

“Well, we-” Zuko began, but a loud knock came to the door. 

“Open up, it’s the landlord!” 

“Shit!” Sokka stated, grabbing the cookie from Aang’s hand and shoving Aang out of the kitchen. “Okay, we trained for this. Aang, go hide in my closet with the dog!”

“Appa, get over here!” Aang called as discreetly as possible. Appa hoped over happily, and Aang grabbed his collar and dragged him into Sokka’s room where he shoved Appa into the closet and climbed in after him.

“What about Momo?” Katara hissed as the landlord’s knocking got louder. 

“Hiding, don’t worry,” Aang replied, closing the closet door. Appa began whining. “Appa, buddy, be quiet for once.”

“Open up!” the landlord called again. 

Sokka motioned for Zuko and Katara to play along before opening the door. There stood the landlord, red faced.

“I hear there’s four people living in this loft,” he stated, walking into the loft without being asked inside. 

“What, no,” Sokka said defensively. “Just me, my sister, and my lover.”

“I’m _not_ his lover,” Zuko said, hitting Sokka on the top of the head when the landlord wasn’t looking. 

They followed him as he made his way down the hall towards the bathroom; when he got there, he looked around, eyes falling on all of the extra products on the shelves. 

“I’m a woman, what do you expect,” Katara told him, shrugging slightly. 

“Humph,” the landlord replied, making his way out of the bathroom and towards Aang’s room. 

“I live here,” Sokka stated as the landlord looked around. Luckily, Katara saw Momo and Appa’s food bowls before the landlord and she dove into the room and quickly kicked them under the bed. 

The landlord looked at her funny and Katara just said, “Dust bunnies! How embarrassing! Sokka, you really need to dust.”

“Sure do,” Sokka replied as the landlord now made his way to Katara’s room.

Luckily, he had nothing to say there and he moved on to Zuko’s room. He paused at the door and looked back at the three roommates who were hovering near him.

Looking right at Zuko, he said, “You live like this?”

“Well,” Zuko replied, looking into his room. Clothes were strewn on the floor, the bed wasn’t made, and there were some water bottles and beer cans lining the windowsill. “Yeah, I do. Can’t deny it.”

The landlord just made a noise of disgust before moving through the living room and towards Sokka’s room. 

“Well, this is it,” Katara whispered, but Sokka and Zuko shushed her. 

The landlord opened the door. “A fourth bedroom.”

“Guest room,” Sokka corrected. “You said we can’t have four people _living_ here, but we can have guests can’t we?”

The landlord squinted at Sokka, and Katara could feel her heart pounding in her chest, before he nodded slowly. 

“I suppose so,” the landlord finally replied.

Katara felt herself let out a breath. She felt Zuko let one out as well. They did it, they were free.

“Well, if you insist that -” the landlord paused. Sokka, Katara, and Zuko all froze. Because, right there, the faintest sound of scratching. The landlord looked at the three again before walking into the room and opening the closet door, looking down to see Aang squished against the wall with Appa in his lap.

Sokka and Zuko groaned. 

“Well, well,” the landlord said, looking at the boys and Katara. “Four people.”

Aang waved. “Heeeey.”

Appa, happy to be free, ran out of the closest, barking madly as he ran towards Aang’s room. Aang made his way out of the closet carefully. 

“I said three people or less,” the landlord stated, pointing at Sokka. “No more! Why are there four of you?”

“Well, you know, uh,” Sokka attempted, looking at Zuko for help who just shrugged helplessly, sweat sliding down his temple.

“ _And_ you have an oversized dog!” the landlord claimed, now pointing towards where Appa ran off to. 

“He’s gentle!” Aang claimed. “I promise. And he really only barks when he’s excited!”

“But, why-!” the landlord began, but Katara cleared her throat.

“You know,” Katara said when he went from glaring at Aang to her. “We could be doing _a lot_ worse here.”

Sokka, Aang, and Zuko nodded in agreement. 

“We could be drug addicts, or squatters, or, uh, something worse!” Katara stated. “But really, one extra person and an oversized dog? We’re not hurting anyone are we?”

“Well,” the landlord sighed, running his hand over his face. “I suppose not.”

“And we’re not breaking any more rules, are we?” Katara asked. 

“No,” he replied. He studied Katara a bit, Katara trying not to break eye contact. “Fine. Four people can live here.”

Sokka and Zuko sighed, Aang cheered. 

“But that’s it!” the landlord claimed, looking at the boys. He rounded on Aang specifically. “Keep the dog under control.”

“Always do, sir!” Aang stated, nodding his head and giving the landlord a small salute.

“Humph,” the landlord huffed, making his way back towards the front door. 

Zuko wiped the sweat off his brow, Sokka’s shoulders loosened, but Katara was not done.

“Wait!” Katara yelled, running towards the landlord, who turned around to look at her. “Now that you’re here… maybe you can look at some stuff?”

The boys groaned.

“Excuse me?” the landlord snapped. “You want me to ‘look at stuff’?”

“I mean, now that there’s an extra person here, do you really think you can, in good conscience, let us live in a broken home?” Katara asked, pouting just a bit. 

“What is she doing,” Zuko hissed at Sokka, but Katara motioned behind her to shut Zuko up.

“I mean, come on… Zhao,” Katara pleaded, still pouting.

“How do you know my name?!” Zhao snapped, standing up straight. “Who told you?”

Katara pointed at his arm where his sweatshirt was bunched at the top. “Uh, you have a tattoo that says ‘I am Zhao’, so I took a shot in the dark.”

Zhao looked at his arm then back at Katara.

“You know, sir,” Zuko said, walking up next to Katara and placing a hand on her shoulder, “you can ignore her, really. I have this all under control, and she’s just good at making messes.” 

Katara elbowed Zuko’s ribs, but he ignored her. 

“What do you need looked at?” Zhao asked, shaking his head. “But only _her_ , not any of you.”

Katara gave Zuko a smirk before motioning to Zhao towards the kitchen sink. 

“How the hell?” Aang asked, watching Katara motion to Zhao what happened at the sink. 

Zuko stared at Zhao who was watching Katara intently. “I don’t trust this guy.”

“Well, if he can accept that we have four people and a dog, then maybe we can accept his help,” Sokka stated, clapping Zuko on the back. “Okay, well, uh, I’m going to my room.”

“Same,” Aang replied. “I have to keep Momo hidden so we don’t get in any more trouble with Mr. Sideburns here.”

Zuko had to go to work, but watching Zhao with Katara made him very uneasy. Still, he couldn’t call out because he needed the money. 

“Katara, I’m heading to work,” Zuko told her loudly.

“Okay,” Katara replied, not paying any attention. 

“Call me if you need me,” Zuko continued.

“Sure.”

“Or, you know, Sokka and Aang are home,” he finished.

Katara looked at him, raising an eyebrow at him. “I’m fine here, Zuko.”

Zuko just nodded before making his way out of the loft. He would have to deal with Zhao later.


	3. The Landlord Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zhao fixes everything in the loft that Katara asks him to fix, thus leading her to invite him over for dinner. Zuko, getting creepy vibes, decides to join. Everything, as usual, does not go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if you guys can tell, but GOSH did I miss writing this fic. And this chapter 100% got away from me. Enjoy!

Katara sat on the kitchen counter watching Zhao get to work on the sink. This was much different than working with Zuko, who had wanted her help and actually did listen to her as she talked to him. Zhao, on the other hand, was quiet, working intensely on the task at hand. 

“Try it now,” Zhao told her, not moving from under the sink. 

Katara hopped off the counter and turned the sink on, only to be immediately sprayed by a blast of water.

“Ah!” she yelled, covering her face with her hands as the water soaked through her shirt. 

“Turn it off!” Zhao yelled, looking at her from under the sink. 

Katara did as she was told, looking down at Zhao’s legs that were sticking out from under the sink. 

“I see what we need to do here,” he muttered to himself. 

Katara grabbed a paper towel and dried herself off, trying as best she could to dry the water off her shirt. Zhao worked for a couple more minutes before sliding out from under the sink and standing up.

“No more chances,” he told her, before turning on the sink himself. Miraculously, it started working good as new.

“Wow!” Katara stated, impressed. “It works!”

“Whatever your idiot roommate did is fixed now,” Zhao replied gruffly, crossing his arms.

“Zuko’s not that bad,” Katara told him, somewhat defensive of Zuko. “But, um, thank you.”

“Hm,” Zhao hummed, placing the tools away in Zuko’s toolbox. 

“What about the bathroom?” Katara asked him.

Zhaor sighed and stood back up. “Show me the way.”

Katara smiled and motioned for Zhao to follow her. As they walked, she couldn’t help but feel Zhao’s eyes glued to her; usually, that would make her uneasy, but she can’t take any more chances with the volatile Zhao, so she bit down any discomfort and showed Zhao to the bathroom. 

“So, what’s wrong with it?” he asked, looking over at Katara. His eyes lingered a little too long on the way her wet shirt clung to her breasts, but Katara ignored it. 

“Well, we’re having the same problem with the bathroom sink as we are the kitchen sink,” Katara explained, motioning towards the sink closest to the shower. “It barely works.”

Zhao sighed again and walked over to the sink, bending down next to the pipe. “Did your idiot roommate touch this one too?”

“Zuko’s not an idiot,” Katara retorted, “but no, he didn’t. My brother refuses to let him.” 

Zhao rolled his eyes in return, but got to work on the sink. 

“So...tell me about yourself,” Katara said, shuffling back and forth on her feet. “What, uh, what do you do for fun?”

“Nothing,” Zhao stated, still focusing on the sink. He grabbed the wrench and began working on the pipe.

“Come on, there has to be something you like to do,” Katara replied. “For example, I love to knit.”

When Zhao did not respond, Katara continued talking.

“I knit so much,” Katara explained. “Scarves, hats, gloves sometimes if I’m feeling ambitious.” 

“You knit hats?” Zhao asked, pausing his work and looking at Katara. 

“Sure do!” Katara exclaimed, grinning at Zhao. “Why, would you like one?”

Zhao huffed before nodding slowly and turning back towards the sink. Katara punched the air slightly when Zhao wasn’t looking. She was slowly getting through to him. 

“It will be getting cold soon,” Katara continued, watching Zhao work. “So I’ll make it as soon as I can and then deliver it as a thank you for helping us!”

“Yep,” Zhao replied, now only somewhat listening.

Katara scrunched her nose, thinking of other ways to get Zhao to open up to her. Katara was someone who liked making new friends, even if they were unwilling to accept her friendship right away. If she got through to Zuko, then she could definitely get through to Zhao. 

“Do you have a family?” Katara asked.

“Nope,” Zhao replied. Katara went to ask more, but Zhao just sighed then looked up at her. “Divorced about a year ago. No kids.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Katara replied. “Really, that’s awful.”

Zhao shrugged then got back to work. “We didn’t work out.”

“Hmm,” Katara hummed. 

“So, how did a pretty girl like you end up in a loft with three grown men?” Zhao asked, not looking at Katara. From the base of his sweatshirt, Katara could see red creeping up his neck.

“My ex cheated on me,” Katara explained. “So now I live with my brother and his friends. It all worked out though.”

“Good, good,” Zhao stated, still refusing to look at Katara as he finished what he needed. 

He gave one final turn of the wrench on the pipe then stood up. Reaching over, he turned on the faucet to a steady stream of water: good as new.

“You’re really good at this, Zhao,” Katara complimented, earning her her first smile from the older man. 

“Used to do this stuff with my dad,” Zhao explained, picking up the toolbox. “So, what else do you need fixing?”

Katara smiled and showed Zhao the way. Zuko and Sokka were wrong: Zhao didn’t suck, he was just lonely. Maybe all he needed was a friend. 

* * *

Zuko somehow was able to escape the bar early that night. Well, around 10:30, which isn’t  _ early  _ exactly, but it was early for him really. Especially when his incompetent manager needed him to do more work than usual. 

Since no one had come to visit him at the bar, Zuko decided to take this moment to walk home since the bar was within walking distance of the loft. Days when Zuko walked to and from the bar were known as Zuko’s ‘exercise days’; also known as the days where Zuko actually does something other than sit on the couch and drink beer. These days didn’t happen often, especially because Sokka or Aang or one of his other friends usually visit him at the bar and then offer to drive him home, but Zuko really didn’t mind the walk. Walking was therapeutic in a way, and Agni knew Zuko needed therapy. 

Back at the loft, Zuko took the elevator back up to the fourth floor, leaning up against the wall and pressing a stitch on his side that he got from walking home. Not only did he need therapy, but he also needed to work out it seemed. The door beeped open, and Zuko made his way down the hall towards 4D. Just as went to reach for the doorknob, the door opened, Katara and Zhao laughing at the threshold.

“Oh, hi, Zuko!” Katara said brightly, her face beaming. “I was just letting Zhao out.”

Zuko took a step aside to let Zhao out, but he felt his chest tighten. “It’s almost 11:00.”

“Yeah, I know! Zhao’s been fixing everything!” Katara replied, smiling at Zhao who just grinned back. “He’s been great.”

“Ah,” Zuko replied, squinting at Zhao.

“So, Zhao,” Katara stated, turning her attention back to the landlord, “you’ll join me for dinner tomorrow as a thank you?”

“Sure, of course,” Zhao replied, nodding at Katara. “My pleasure.”

“You know what,” Zuko interrupted, shaking his head. “Lucky for you guys, I have tomorrow off. So, Katara, I will be joining as well, if that’s okay?”

Katara beamed. “Sure!”

“Great,” Zuko replied, trying not to be sarcastic as he grinned tightly at Zhao who just glared at him. “See you tomorrow,  _ Zhao _ .”

“Yes, well, see you both tomorrow,” Zhao said. He gave a small nod to Katara before walking out of the apartment and stalking down the hall. 

Zuko grabbed Katara’s arm and pushed her inside. 

“Hey!” Katara yelled, wiggling her arm out of Zuko’s grasp. “What are you doing?!”

“Why the hell are you inviting him to dinner?!” Zuko snapped, throwing his hands up. “He’s a complete stranger, Katara, and you’re just asking him to eat dinner with you?”

“Zuko, he’s our  _ landlord _ ,” Katara emphasized, rolling her eyes. “So, he’s not a total stranger. Plus, he fixed so much around the loft. Even Sokka is impressed.”

Zuko crossed his arms, unconvinced.

“He fixed both the kitchen and bathroom sinks, unclogged the toilet, and was able to fix the dryer so it wasn’t making that noise,” Katara explained, ticking everything off on her fingers. “He offered to fix the hole in your wall -”

“He better not have gone in my room!” Zuko said, stomping to the kitchen and grabbing a beer from the fridge. 

“But, I told him your room is a minefield, so he didn’t,” Katara replied, rolling her eyes. “But he did fix my closet door! Remember how it was stuck?”

Zuko groaned. “You were alone in your room with him?”

“Zuko, what is the big deal?” Katara asked, crossing her arms. “I’m a big girl, and he was being nice.”

“Did he… help you close the door?” Zuko asked, placing his beer down on the island and raising his eyebrow at Katara.

“What do you mean?” 

“You know,” Zuko explained, motioning with his hand. “Did he grab your waist and help you close the door.”

Katara flushed. “Maybe a little, but that door is heavy.”

“You fell for the oldest trick in the book!” Zuko exclaimed, smirking a bit. “Come on, all guys do that to get close to a girl.”

“Oh yeah?” Katara cocked her head, scrunching her nose. 

Zuko slid his beer across the island towards Katara. “Pick that up.”

“What?” Katara asked, starting to laugh a bit. “Why?”

“Just do it,” Zuko told her, making his way from around the island. 

Katara laughed but picked up the beer, looking at Zuko.

“Nah, girl, that’s not how you do it,” Zuko said, sneaking up behind her. “It’s like this.”

Zuko took his right hand and placed it over her hand that was holding the beer. He placed his left hand on her waist, and began moving her arm with his.

“See, it’s like this,” Zuko showed her, over exaggerating his movements slightly. 

Katara kept laughing. “Zuko, really? What are you doing?”

“Showing you how to lift a beer,” Zuko said, “because you clearly don’t know how. I’ve been doing this for years.”

“Zuko!” Katara said, still laughing, throwing her head back slightly so she was leaning on Zuko’s chest. 

Zuko felt his heart start beating quickly; what was he doing? Katara was in a relationship, he should not be holding her like this. Quickly he let go of her and moved so that he was standing in front of her. 

“Beer please,” he asked, holding his hand out. 

Katara looked at the beer in her hand, then back at Zuko. Smirking, she took a big gulp from the bottle before handing the beer back to Zuko. 

“Trying to prove a point?” Zuko asked, a smile playing on his lips. 

Katara shrugged. “Well, your little show didn’t prove anything. Zhao was just being nice and helping out. Nothing funky going on.”

“Well, I’m not leaving you alone with him again,” Zuko told her, taking another drink from his beer. “He gave me the creeps.”

“Suit yourself,” Katara replied, shrugging her shoulders. “Just be nice tomorrow, please? He didn’t have to help but he did. Especially after the shit we pulled.”

“I will make no such promises,” Zuko replied. 

Katara clicked her tongue. “Fine, okay. Goodnight, Zuko.”

“Night, Katara,” Zuko replied, watching Katara head towards her room. 

When she was gone, Zuko sighed deeply, staring down the hallway. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so protective of Katara, especially, as she said, she was a big girl. She  _ was  _ sort of seeing someone that should definitely be taking over. Maybe it was because Sokka wasn’t looking after her. 

Finishing his beer, Zuko got up and threw the bottle in the recycle bin before heading to bed. He stopped in front of Katara’s room, cocking his head to the left, his right ear picking up Katara laughing through the door. Shaking his head, Zuko went into his room and went to bed. 

* * *

The next day, Zuko sat at the kitchen table watching Katara set the table up for their dinner with Zhao. Zuko had asked Sokka and Aang if they would join, but Sokka said something about work, and Aang was not about to be around Zhao after being yelled at, so he took Appa for an extra long walk. So, it was just going to be Zuko and Katara alone with their landlord.  _ Great _ .

“Can you at least smile, Zuko?” Katara asked, placing down a bottle of wine in front of Zuko. “Seriously, you have a lovely smile.”

Zuko grimaced. “Sure, thanks, Katara.”

“You’re absolutely hopeless,” Katara said. Just then, a loud knock came at the door. “Oh, that’s him!” 

Zuko groaned and opened the bottle of wine, pouring himself a healthy amount and downing it. He could hear Katara welcome Zhao, hear Zhao laughing with Katara, and Zuko just poured himself more wine as Katara walked over, Zhao on her heels. 

“Look!” Katara told him, holding up a big bottle in her hand. “Zhao brought… this!”

“I ferment stuff in my basement,” Zhao explained proudly. 

Zuko scoffed. “Oh, absolutely wonderful.” 

“Be nice,” Katara hissed, setting the bottle down and sitting down across from Zuko. Zhao took the seat at the head of the table between Zuko and Katara.

Zuko hated every moment of this. 

Katara passed the pasta to Zhao, making eye contact with Zuko across the table. She motioned at him to smile, but instead he just frowned, scrunching his nose to make him look like a turtle. When Zhao wasn’t paying attention, Katara kicked Zuko under the table, causing him to jump.

“Hey, watch it!” Zuko exclaimed, kicking Katara back. 

Katara kicked him again. “Sorry, no room!”

Zhao, still holding the bowl of pasta, looked back and forth between Katara and Zuko, a look of bemusement on his face. Smiling, he passed the bowl to Zuko, who just took it angrily. 

“So, how long have you two been together?” Zhao asked, stabbing a piece of pasta and smiling up at Katara.

Zuko dropped the bowl, and Katara spit out the wine in her mouth. 

Quickly, Katara wiped her mouth with a napkin before looking at Zhao and said, “Oh, no no. We’re - we’re not a couple.”

“Uh, yeah,” Zuko replied, placing the bowl far away from him and then pouring himself some more wine. “We’re not together.”

“Interesting,” Zhao replied, nodding. 

Katara cleared her throat and focused on her own plate of food, pushing the pasta around her plate as though she had suddenly lost her appetite. Zuko, on the other hand, felt extremely awkward, and started shoveling his food into his mouth to avoid any more awkward moments. 

“I think I’ll try your drink, Zhao,” Katara commented, picking up the bottle and pouring some out into her now empty wine cup. “It looks great.”

“Katara, are you sure -?” But Katara shot Zuko with a death glare, and he closed his mouth. 

She placed the cup to her lips, Zhao watching her closely. Zuko couldn’t help but laugh when Katara’s eyes widened and she began to gag slightly at the taste of the alcohol on her tongue. 

“Whoa,” she grimaced, placing the cup down on the table and sliding it away from her. “That was - it was definitely - tastes like gasoline?”

“I’ve been perfecting it over the last few years,” Zhao told her. 

Zuko brought his own wine to his lips to try and stop himself from laughing at Katara who was now standing up quickly and heading towards the fridge to get a bottle of water. 

“Why don’t  _ you  _ try it, Zuko?” she asked sweetly, sliding Zhao’s bottle towards him when she sat back down. 

“Oh no,” Zuko replied, taking another sip of wine, “I’m not brave enough for that.”

“I’ve seen the beer cans in your room,” Zhao stated, looking at Zuko with concern. “Seems to me like you're an alcoholic.” 

Katara stifled a laugh and Zuko just blinked at Zhao.

“Tell me, Zuko, do you binge drink?” Zhao asked, stabbing at his pasta again and lifting it towards his mouth, but not taking a bite. 

“Sometimes, I guess,” Zuko answered, shrugging slightly. “If I have nothing better to do, I drink.”

“Hmmm,” Zhao hummed, chewing his food thoughtfully before swallowing. “Hard childhood?”

Zuko opened his mouth, then closed it again. 

“Something traumatic happened to you, I would guess,” Zhao told him, his eyes wandering along Zuko’s scar. 

Zuko kept his mouth shut. 

“It’s okay, you know,” Zhao continued. “We don’t have to speak.”

“Yeah, so shut up,” Zuko snapped, hitting his hand off the table. “You don’t know anything about me or my life. You have no right to assume anything about me.”

Katara kicked him again, but he ignored her. 

“I do apologize,” Zhao replied, holding his hands up in surrender. “I did not mean to offend.” 

“Whatever,” Zuko muttered.

“Zuko, it’s okay,” Katara said, trying to calm him down. 

“No, no, I overstepped my boundaries there,” Zhao assured her. “I had no right to do that, and for that, Zuko, I am sorry. Truly.”

Zuko glared at Zhao, but nodded slowly. “Fine. Whatever. Just - just don’t bring it up again, please.”

“I promise not to,” Zhao promised, marking an x over his chest. “Though I must say, you have an excellent taste in beers.”

“Uh, thanks,” Zuko replied, eyeing Zhao warily. “I’m a bartender so I guess I know the good stuff.”

“Clearly!” Zhao turned to Katara. “I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”

“Sure,” Katara replied, smiling. 

As soon as Zhao was out of earshot, she rounded on Zuko. “Stop being mean!”

“Are you kidding me, Katara?” Zuko snapped. “He’s the one coming in here and talking about my  _ trauma _ . Such bullshit! I have nothing to say to him!”

“Fine, you’re right,” Katara stated. “He shouldn’t have done that. He’s just super awkward and doesn’t know how to act.” 

“Clearly,” Zuko scoffed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “That’s why I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

“He just needs a friend, Zuko,” Katara stated, rolling her eyes. “Come on, he’s been super lonely since his divorce.”

“ _ Divorce _ ?” Zuko asked, shaking his head at Katara. “Want to know what I think?”

“What, Zuko?” Katara snapped, leaning forward and glaring at Zuko. “What do you think?”

Zuko uncrossed his arms and leaned forward over the table so that he and Katara were eye to eye. “I think he’s into you and he’s trying to get in your pants.” 

“Zuko, that is totally insane!” Katara exclaimed, standing up quickly and placing her hands on the table. “You just can’t admit that Zhao is a nice guy who just needs a friend!”

Zuko now stood up, placing his own hands on the table and leaning in so he was closer to Katara. “Maybe! Or I can see him as a middle aged dude who wants to get in this young woman’s pants because she’s being nice to him!”

“You’re insane!” Katara snapped.

“No,  _ you’re  _ the crazy one!” Zuko stated. 

Katara was just about to retort when they heard footsteps coming back down the hall. They both turn around, Katara’s mouth dropping open; there at the end of the hall stood Zhao in just his underwear.

“Uh, Zhao… where are your pants?” Katara asked, staring at Zhao. Zuko, for once, was quiet, eyes wide as he looked at Zhao with both disgust and triumph. 

“I’ve never done a threesome,” Zhao stated easily, shrugging his shoulders. “That’s what we’re doing here right?”

Zuko blinked. “Well… this I was not expecting.”

Katara didn’t know what to say. She just stared at Zhao, mouth open, unable to form words.

“Excuse us,” Zuko told Zhao holding a finger up. He pushed his chair back and walked around the table, grabbing Katara’s arm, dragging her past Zhao, and pushing her into her room. Once there, he closed the door behind him and grinned. 

“Don’t say it,” Katara hissed, crossing her arms, her cheeks red. “Don’t.”

“I love you seeing you be wrong, Katara,” Zuko told her, lifting his chin up slightly. 

“So I may have been…. A little off about some things,” Katara replied, shrugging nonchalantly. “He’s just hurting from his divorce, that’s all.”

“Still making excuses for that guy?” Zuko asked, motioning with his thumb towards the door, where Zhao mostly stood. 

“Okay,  _ Zuko _ , then if you want to prove me wrong so bad, let’s do this thing,” Katara stated, glaring at Zuko. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Zuko asked, starting to laugh. “You want to have a threesome with that guy to prove me wrong?” 

“We could do worse than Zhao,” Katara shrugged, thoroughly enjoying watching Zuko squirm slightly. 

He squinted at her, wondering how far she would go when he said, “Yeah. Okay, let’s do this.”

“Wait, what?” Katara asked, blinking in surprise.

“Let’s get weird,” Zuko told her, opening the door to find Zhao waiting for them. “Oh look, he’s ready.”

“If that’s what’s happening,” Zhao stated, looking around Zuko at Katara.

Katara looked back and forth between Zhao and Zuko, the latter with a giant smirk on his face. 

_ I’m winning _ , he mouthed to her as Zhao just continued staring at Katara.

“Fine!” Katara exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “Let’s have a threesome.” 

“Great,” Zhao replied, walking into the room past Zuko who just grimaced.

“Fantastic,” Zuko said. He motioned at Zhao’s back towards him. “This is happening, Katara. With that guy.”

“Yep,” Katara replied, as Zhao grabbed both of their hands and brought them to the middle of the room at the end of Katara’s bed. 

“So, a threesome,” Zhao explained, motioning between the three of them. “It might get uncomfortable, but all we need to do is keep talking.”

“Great,” Zuko rasped, nodding at Zhao, still grimacing slightly. “Really, really, awesome.”

“Now, you two know each other best,” Zhao stated, looking back and forth between Zuko and Katara, “so you two should get this thing started.”

“Us?” Katara asked.

“Started?” Zuko added, cheeks burning red. He refused to look at Katara now. 

“Sure,” Zhao replied, smiling at Katara. “Just take off whatever clothes you’re comfortable with, and then just start exploring each other’s bodies.”

“Explore each other’s bodies?” Katara’s voice was high pitched now as she caught Zuko’s eye.

Zuko, at this point trying to prove he was right, took a step closer to Katara and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Can I take off your shirt?”

Katara jumped back, throwing her hands up in defense. “Yep, nope, totally out.”

“Ha!” Zuko exclaimed, punching the air. “I win!”

“I’m sorry, what is happening?” Zhao asked, looking between the two.

“I’m not doing this,” Katara told him, walking past Zuko and Zhao and out of her room. Zuko listened to her footsteps recede down the hall towards the bathroom.

“So, this wasn’t happening?” Zhao asked, glancing at Zuko.

“Agni, no,” Zuko retorted. “Ah, she’s seeing someone. And, no offense dude, you’re not my type.”

Zhao nodded. “Fair.”

“Do me a favor, Zhao?” Zuko asked. Zhao nodded. “Put your pants on and get out of my house.”

“My pants are in the bathroom,” Zhao explained. “And Katara went in there.”

“Good thing you live right downstairs then,” Zuko exclaimed, grabbing Zhao’s shoulder and pushing him out of Katara’s room and towards the front door. “I’m keeping your weird fermented alcohol by the way. And thanks for fixing shit, but I got it from now on.”

“Hey, hey,” Zhao stated, as Zuko pushed him into the hallway. “Listen, this won’t happen again.”

“Nope it won’t,” Zuko replied, closing the front door in Zhao’s face. 

He turned around and leaned back against the door, running a hand along his face as he did. So badly did he want to rub it into Katara’s face that she was wrong, so completely wrong, but he also knew that she was probably feeling horrible. Sighing, he went to the kitchen and grabbed two water bottles from the fridge and made his way towards the bathroom where Katara had locked herself in the stall. 

“Katara,” he called, knocking on the stall door. “Katara, you in there?”

“You were right,” she muttered through the door. 

“Katara, come on out,” Zuko said. “I have water?”

Katara opened the door slightly, staring at Zuko through the crack. 

“I’m not going to rub it in,” Zuko told her. “I promise.” 

Sighing, Katara opened the door all the way and stepped out of the stall. Zuko passed her a water bottle before leaning up against the wall and sliding down before sitting on the floor. Katara chuckled and sat next to him.

“You deserve to rub it in,” Katara told him, fiddling with the label on her water bottle. “You were right, he  _ was  _ trying to get in my pants.”

“Now, now, don’t be too hard on yourself,” Zuko assured her. “He was trying to get into my pants too.”

Katara grinned. “Weird.”

Zuko just shrugged. “Meh, who knows.”

“Were you going to go through with it?” Katara asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Go through with having a threesome with you?” he asked, raising his eyebrow. “I think I told you, I actually somewhat like Haru. So, uh, no, I was not going to go through with it.”

“Okay, great,” Katara replied, blushing slightly. “Cool.”

Zuko nodded then opened his water, taking a drink while Katara just stared at him.

“Why water?” she asked, holding up her own bottle which now had a torn label. 

“I’ve been told I’m an alcoholic,” Zuko replied, shrugging. “Guess I should fix that.”

“Zuko, you’re not an alcoholic,” Katara told him. “Trust me.”

“If I were, would you promise to say something?” Zuko asked her. Katara gave him a confused look, but nodded. “Okay, uh, thanks.”

“Why?”

“Maybe another time, okay?” Zuko replied, not looking Katara in the eye. “Listen, you have a big heart, and you always see the best in people. You saw the best in Zhao, and you - well - you see the best in me. So, yeah.”

“Thanks, Zuko,” Katara replied, touched. “Are we entering a new level?”

Zuko laughed. “Not yet, but I’ll tell you when we are.”

Katara grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

“Listen,” Zuko said, standing up from the floor, “we never finished dinner and I’m starving. So, want to eat?”

“Yes, I do!” Katara exclaimed, standing up herself.

Together, the two made their way from the bathroom towards the kitchen where their dinner was still set up on the table. 

Zuko wasn’t really sure where his friendship with Katara was going to end up, but if they can get through almost having a threesome with their creepy landlord, Zuko figured he had a friend in Katara for life. 

And, honestly, Zuko really never had a friend like Katara before. Sure, he had Sokka and Aang, and they were great, but they didn’t listen like Katara. They didn’t argue with him like Katara, because she was always willing to prove him wrong when the other guys always just gave up. She was someone who was willing to put up with his shit and then call him out on it. Zuko really liked that, and he really appreciated it. 

Maybe one day he’ll tell her about  _ why  _ he was so nervous to be labeled as an alcoholic, tell her about his father who used to beat him when he drank. But for now, he knew Katara had his back and that was all that mattered. And, if he’s being honest with himself, he had her back too, whether she knew it or not. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for a nice Sukka chapter next :)


	4. Come Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night at the bar, the gang goes back to the loft to continue the night. Once Toph leaves and Zuko, Katara, and Aang all head to bed, all that's left are Sokka and Suki, who are always bickering. But, sometimes, playful bickering can lead to something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during Chapter 3 (Adore You) of the original work. So I kind of worked my way backwards here, but oh well. 
> 
> This chapter got a bit, *ahem*, ~spicy~, but not explicitly so. Implied sexual content ahead.

Even though Zuko’s shift at the bar ended at around 11:00, no one wanted to stop hanging out. Plus, with Katara and Aang both being sober enough to drive, everyone decided to just head back to the loft and finish the night together. 

At the loft, Toph opened the door and walked in like she owned the place, giving an excited Appa a pat on the head before making her way towards the kitchen. 

“Hey, if you’re grabbing yourself a beer,” Zuko called to her as he collapsed on the couch, “grab me one too please.” 

“Sure, but I cannot guarantee I’m grabbing the good stuff,” Toph replied, opening the fridge and feeling around for the beer cans. She pulled one out and held it up for Aang, who was grabbing some crackers, to look at. 

“Sorry, Toph,” Aang told her, “you grabbed a soda can.”

“Damn,” Toph muttered, placing the can back in the fridge and continuing her search. 

Aang placed his crackers down on the counter before pushing Toph aside gently and grabbing two cans of beer. He placed both in Toph’s hand and walked away without a word, crackers in hand. 

“Thanks, Twinkletoes!” she said, following Aang towards the couch where everyone had settled. 

“Sure,” Aang replied, opening the box and digging in. 

The crew settled in, and Katara grabbed the remote off the coffee table to switch through the channels on TV. Being so late at night, there wasn’t much on. Not that anyone was watching anyways, since they were listening to Sokka and Suki bicker. 

“I’m telling you, I would have won,” Sokka argued, crossing his arms. “If Aang here hadn’t pushed my elbow, that is.”

“Aang wasn’t even close to you!” Suki scoffed, shaking her head at Sokka. “I won fair and square, just admit that you lost to a girl.”

“I will do no such thing,” Sokka replied, looking away from Suki. 

“You got beat by a girl, meathead,” Toph told him. “Just accept it and move on.”

“Yeah, stop blaming your loss on me,” Aang added, reaching over from where he was sitting and hitting Sokka. 

Katara and Zuko made eye contact before breaking away, trying not to laugh. Maybe Zuko was right about those two. 

“Whatever, can we just do something?” Suki asked, pointedly looking away from Sokka. “Seriously, we came all this way, what are you planning?”

Not sure what to do, Katara got up and grabbed a game of  _ Uno  _ from her room, holding it up for everyone to see; well, except for Toph who just grunted that she can’t play card games, leaving her to team up with Zuko. 

“Great, the completely blind and partially blind guy on one team,” Sokka teased, grinning at Zuko. “Seems like a good idea.”

“I can see colors, Sokka,” Zuko told him as they took their places at the table.

“And I can feel when you lie,” Toph added, smirking in Sokka’s direction. “So, yes, we’re fine.”

Sokka shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

So they started the game, Suki easily settling in next to Sokka, making some excuse about how she wanted to kick his ass. No one questioned her reasoning, though Sokka threw her a curious look as he shuffled the deck of cards. 

“Seriously we could be doing something much more fun,” Toph stated, leaning back in her chair. 

“Maybe,” Katara replied, grabbing her cards from Sokka. “But if you want entertainment, then you need to be here when my brother loses.”

“Bring it,” Sokka replied, cracking his knuckles and holding his cards to his face to look at.

Thus, the game began. It started off silently enough, everyone placing a card down and moving on without much thought. Zuko, since he was narrating for Toph, had an unfair advantage since everyone could hear him loudly whispering his strategy. 

“You’re really bad at this game, Zuko,” Aang told him, watching as Zuko had to fish for more cards.

“This game is about luck,” Zuko grumbled when he finally got a card he could place down. “I have bad cards, so I have bad luck.”

“No, this game is about strategy,” Sokka countered, studying his cards carefully. “You need to plan out every move. Like what are you going to do to defeat your opponent.”

“It’s  _ Uno,  _ Sokka, not war,” Suki snorted, leaning her chin on her hand and watching Sokka as he tried to decide on a card. 

Sokka beamed, then looked at Suki as he pulled a card from his deck. “Observe. I see you only have about three cards left, so I raise you this.”

He held up a draw four before dramatically placing it on the deck.

“Oh, you  _ dick _ ,” Suki exclaimed angrily, glaring at Sokka, who just smirked. “Seriously? You’re just peeved you lost to me at arm wrestling!”

“No such thing!” Sokka replied, pointing at Suki. “I am merely showing you how to be a strategist.”

On the opposite side of the table, Toph cocked her head slightly, an amused grin on her face. No one saw her as she smirked towards Sokka and Suki before standing up. 

“Well,” Toph stated, “I know we’re not done, but I’m going to head home. Let you all settle this.”

“Sure,” Zuko replied, throwing his cards down. “I’m honestly done too.”

“Toph, do you need a ride?” Aang asked, placing his cards down with Zuko’s and forming them into a neat pile. “I’d be happy to take you home.”

“Nah, Twinkletoes, I’m good,” Toph stated, waving her hand. “I can call an Uber no big deal.”

With that, Toph bid goodbye to the loft and left. Zuko grabbed his and Toph’s empty beer cans and threw them away before making his way to his bedroom.

“Night, Zuko!” Katara called to him as she cleaned up the deck of cards.

Zuko paused at the entry of the hall, turned around, and looked at Katara, a soft smile on his lips. “Night, Katara.”

Katara grinned as Zuko finally went into his room. Aang quickly helped Katara with the cards before also bidding goodnight and leading Appa to his bedroom. 

Katara looked at Sokka and Suki who were still glaring at each other. “Uh, Suki, do you want to stay the night?”

“Hmm?” Suki snapped, looking at Katara. When she realized what Katara had said, she relaxed. “Oh, no. No, I’m good. I’m going to head home soon. Thanks though.”

“Okay,” Katara replied, looking at the half drunk beers in front of Sokka and Suki. “Well, um, I’m going to bed. Sokka, don’t be a dick, okay?”

“I won’t,” Sokka replied, standing up and picking up his beer. 

Once Katara was finally in her room, Sokka looked at Suki. “I really wasn’t trying to push your buttons with the game. You know what right?”

“Well, you’ve just been known to do that sometimes,” Suki replied, turning her body so she was looking at Sokka leaning up against the sink. “So… sorry.”

Sokka waved his hand. “Nah, you’re right. I do like to push your buttons sometimes. I don’t know, it’s always been fun to see you squirm.”

“Me? Squirm?” Suki asked, grabbing her own beer and standing up to join Sokka up against the counter. “You never made me squirm.”

“Sometimes, you do,” Sokka teased. “Like, when I call you gorgeous, your cheeks go all red and - hey, look it’s happening now!” 

Suki pushed Sokka with her free hand, trying not to focus on the heat in her cheeks. “Shut up! It’s the alcohol that’s all!”

“Uh huh, sure,” Sokka grinned. He finished off his beer before tossing it in the bin under the sink. He turned back to Suki, who had now placed her beer on the counter and crossed her arms. “What?”

“You!” Suki exclaimed, letting out a sigh. “You’re just - ugh - so annoying! And you always just get on my nerves! And - I don’t know - you’re the worst, that’s all.”

Sokka raised his eyebrows and took a step closer to Suki. “Really? Interesting.”

Suki took a step back. “Not really.”

“You know, if I admit you’re stronger than me, will you be less mean?” Sokka asked, pouting slightly. 

Suki loosened her arms around her chest slightly, then nodded. “I mean, I  _ am  _ stronger than you. Do you remember when I took taekwondo when I was, like, fourteen?”

“Oh yeah, I remember that,” Sokka replied, laughing. “You demonstrated one of your moves on me once. Yeah, you were a freshman in high school, and I remember being so embarrassed a girl younger than me kicked my ass. Sophomore year did not bode well for Sokka.” 

Suki grinned. “I think you were pissing me off that day, that’s why I kicked your ass.” 

“That would be a fair guess,” Sokka replied, grinning in return. 

Suki didn’t know what to say anymore. And it seemed like neither did Sokka, as he just cleared his throat awkwardly. 

“You know, you really were a dick sometimes,” Suki said finally, watching as Sokka looked up at her. “I mean, I didn’t care that much, because you were Katara’s brother and I knew you were just trying to look cool. But, uh, you’re not so much a dick anymore.”

Sokka shrugged. “You helped me I guess.”

“What?” Suki blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You helped me change my point of view,” Sokka told her, smiling sincerely. “I was such a stupid guy, thinking that all women were good for were cleaning and cooking, forgetting about the fact that I had a badass grandmother who raised me and a younger sister who is basically Wonder Woman. They always just… smiled and took it, I guess. Well, not Katara, she always yelled at me. But you? You always called me on my bullshit, you were always willing to prove me wrong no matter how far I pushed you. And, I don’t know, that really helped me see it. I realized that I don’t have the strength you, or Katara, or my Gran Gran has, or, hell, even my mom had. You just… helped.”

Suki blinked for a moment, completely speechless. Sure, she noticed the little changes in Sokka here and there, and noticed how he started treating her differently as the years went on. She had assumed it was because of when she started dating other guys, but she didn’t realize she had that much of an effect on him. 

“Sorry, was that weird to say?” Sokka asked, taking another tentative step forward. 

“No,” Suki replied, shaking her head, stepping forward herself. “That was...sweet.”

“I meant every word,” Sokka told her.

Suki was acutely aware that his face was very close to hers, and every voice in Suki’s head told her that this was a bad idea, but his lips were suddenly on hers, and she did not want to fight back. Instead, she leaned into him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. 

When they broke apart, Suki’s hand made her way to her mouth in surprise, and Sokka just stared at her with wide eyes.

“Ah, well,” he stuttered, grinning awkwardly. “That - uh - hmmm.”

“You kissed me,” Suki told him, hand now on her cheek as she stared at Sokka in return. 

“To be fair,” Sokka pointed out, “you totally kissed me back.”

“Did not!” Suki exclaimed, but she knew she was lying. She one hundred percent kissed him back, and honestly, she would again if he asked her. 

“Admit you liked it,” Sokka teased. “Just admit - “

But instead of saying anything, Suki grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for another kiss, Sokka’s body tensing in surprise before slowly melting into her. His hands made their way to her waist, her arms wrapped around his neck. 

“Bad idea,” Sokka said in between desperate kisses. “Really bad idea, right?”

“Totally,” Suki agreed, but it came out like a soft moan when Sokka slowly made his way from her ear lobe to her neck. 

“We can stop when you want,” he told her.

“I don’t want to stop,” Suki admitted.

Sokka pulled away slightly, looking at her with surprise and lust. 

“I don’t want to stop,” Suki repeated, pulling him in again. 

She felt Sokka push her backwards towards his bedroom, pushing the door open as they stumbled into the room. Once he closed the door behind him, Suki grabbed the bottom of her shirt and went to pull it over her head, getting halfway there when a loud knock came at the door. Suki felt her eyes go wide, but Sokka just motioned for her to keep quiet.

“Uh, yeah?” Sokka called out. 

“Hey, did Suki leave?” came Katara’s voice from behind the door. “I came out to grab some water, and saw you guys weren’t in here so -”

“Yep, yep, she left,” Sokka replied, eyes wide with fear. He looked over at Suki who had now completely taken her shirt off, and was standing in the middle of the room in her bra and jeans. 

_ Get rid of her _ , she mouthed to him.

“Uh, listen, Katara,” Sokka called, “I’m tired so I’m heading to bed.”

“Okay, I’ll call Suki tomorrow,” Katara stated. “Night.”

“Yeah, night,” Sokka replied. 

They both stood still as they listened to Katara’s footsteps recede down the hallway. Sokka looked over at Suki.

“We can stop,” he told her earnestly, but she could see the way he was staring at her standing nearly naked in front of him. “But, like you said, I don’t want to stop either.”

Suki bit her lip. “I just - want this.”

Sokka walked over, grabbing her waist and pulling her in for another kiss. 

“I want this too,” Sokka whispered when they broke apart, his forehead resting on hers. 

And Suki completely unraveled. 

* * *

Suki woke up suddenly, shooting up in bed as she tried to figure out her surroundings. Running her hand over her face, she looked around, eyes adjusting to the sun soaked room. When she could finally see, she looked down at her right where Sokka was sleeping deeply besides her. 

Everything about last night came rushing back, and Suki just sighed happily as she slid back down under the covers. Sokka adjusted slightly, throwing his arm over her and pulling her close. Suki smiled, gently stroking his cheek, watching him grin in his sleep. 

She didn’t regret what happened. In fact, she was somewhat expecting this to happen at some point. There was always this weird, unspoken attraction between her and Sokka, but she never expected to act on it so soon. Really, she just thought it was the thrill of her best friend’s older brother being into her that got her excited.

Did she have feelings for Sokka? No, of course she didn’t. She told Katara she would never date Sokka, even if her life depended on it. 

Oh no,  _ Katara _ . What was she going to think when she found out? What was she going to say? Would she be mad?

Suki felt Sokka stir beside her, causing her to look down at him again. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked up at Suki, who gave him a small kiss on his temple. 

“So it wasn’t a dream,” he mused, staring up at Suki with a dreamy look on his face. 

“No, no, it wasn’t,” Suki told him, now stroking his hair that had come out of its wolf’s tail during their activities that night. 

Sokka sighed happily, closing his eyes again, feeling Suki’s fingers work their way on his scalp. She felt content laying there with Sokka, but her mind would not stop racing. 

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” he asked her, lifting his head slightly to look at her. “I can practically hear the wheels turning in your head.”

“This wasn’t a mistake, right?” Suki asked, now sitting up and wrapping the sheets around her. Suddenly, she was extremely self conscious, but Sokka didn’t look at her any different. 

Instead, he just sat up next to her, taking her hand in his. “I hope not.”

“Okay, good,” Suki replied, biting her lip. 

“Suki, what would make this a mistake?” Sokka asked her, pushing aside a loose strand of hair on Suki’s face with his free hand. 

“I don’t know, your sister finding out?” Suki suggested, suddenly feeling silly. “Or your roommates.”

“I mean, it didn’t mean anything, did it?” Sokka asked. 

Suki swallowed. “No. It was just a heat of the moment, needed to address the sexual tension, type deal, that’s all.”

“Right, right,” Sokka agreed, nodding along. “Yeah, it was probably going to happen eventually, right?”

“Totally,” Suki stated. “Right, exactly. Just a one night stand, a hook up.”

“Yeah, we can call it that,” Sokka replied. Suki couldn’t miss the way Sokka’s hand suddenly gripped hers. “Uh, it was really fun though.” 

Suki leaned over and kissed Sokka on the cheek. “Honestly, I had fun too.”

Sokka grinned. “Aha! So you admit you liked it!”

“Spirits, Sokka!” Suki exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air but laughing nonetheless. “I just had some pretty amazing sex with you last night, so yes, I can admit I liked it.”

“Pretty amazing you say?” Sokka asked, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“You freak,” Suki teased, giving Sokka a shove. “I need to get up, turn around.”

“But I already saw you naked,” Sokka pointed out, still wiggling his eyebrows. 

“All right fine,” Suki conceded, and she slid out of bed, feeling herself go red hot under Sokka’s gaze. 

Quickly, she located her underwear and slid them on, then found her bra and put it on. She felt around her jeans pocket and slid out her phone, noticing the time: 7:30. She also noticed a slew of texts from both Katara and Ty Lee

“Damn, okay,” Suki muttered to herself as she slid her jeans on and threw on her shirt. 

“What’s up?” Sokka asked, still sitting in bed, watching Suki get ready. 

“Uh, your sister and Ty Lee,” Suki told him, reading the texts quickly. “Just making sure I’m okay.”

“So, since you would rather die than admit you slept with me,” Sokka said, “what are you going to tell them?”

Suki did her best to ignore the hurt that crept into Sokka’s voice. 

“I can cover for you,” he offered. 

“I’ll tell Katara I was able to get home fine,” Suki pondered out loud, now pacing. “And I’ll tell Ty Lee I had a sleepover with Katara. Easy.”

“But what if they talk to each other?” Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows. 

“They won’t,” Suki told him, sitting down on his side of the bed. “Trust me, they’ll believe me.” 

“You really don’t want to tell anyone, huh?” Sokka asked, reaching for her hand again. 

“Maybe… maybe we just keep this to ourselves for now,” Suki told him. “It was a one time thing, it was really fun, but maybe we keep that adventure to ourselves?”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Sokka agreed, sighing slightly. “Sure. I would rather not Katara kick my ass for sleeping with her best friend, so maybe that’s a good idea.”

Suki gave Sokka a small grin. “Great. Okay, we’re in agreement.”

“Yep.”

“Uh, can you do me a favor?” Suki asked, biting her lip.

“Yeah?”

“Since we don’t want to tell your roommates...” Suki started, but Sokka understood what she meant and nodded. 

“Gotcha, hold on,” Sokka replied, sliding out of bed. Suki tried not to stare as he slid on his boxers before going to his bedroom door and peeking outside to the kitchen. He looked back at her. “All clear.”

Suki jumped up and ran to the door, pausing in front of Sokka. “Uh - well - hm - thanks?”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome,” Sokka replied, nodding awkwardly. 

“Ah, well,” Suki said, raising an arm slightly. Sokka raised his own, as if he was about to wrap it around Suki.

“Wait, you’re not going in for a hug,” he said, wincing. 

“No, I was going to pat your arm,” Suki told him, unable to look at him. “This is going to be -”

“Awkward as hell,” Sokka finished.

Suki chuckled. “Yeah.”

“Well, see you soon then,” Sokka told her. 

“See ya,” Suki replied, before finally walking out of Sokka’s room and practically running out of the loft without a look back. 

As she waited on the side of the road for an Uber, her arms wrapped herself, Suki could not stop thinking about the night she had with Sokka.

_ It was just sex _ , she told herself.  _ It was just a somewhat drunken hookup. It was just a way to get out your sexual tension. No biggie _ . 

But as she slid into the backseat of the Uber, Suki couldn’t help but to think maybe it was a big deal. And she wasn’t really ready to face that just yet. 

* * *

Later that Saturday, Sokka lay on his bed, fully clothed now, staring up at the ceiling as he thought of Suki. 

He really wasn’t expecting anything to happen last night. It wasn’t like he  _ planned  _ to sleep with his little sister’s best friend. He assumed it might happen at some point, but really that was just wishful thinking. To Sokka, Suki would always just be the one that got away, the one that would never give him a chance. Sokka had come to terms with that a long time ago. Then again, something in his gut had told him to break it off with Yue when he did. So maybe fate was just toying with him?

Now he had to somehow be in the same room with Suki whenever they hung out, because now, she was friends with his friends. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. 

A knock came at his door.

“Yeah?” he called out, not moving from his spot on the bed. 

Aang opened the door and looked at Sokka. “Hey, I was wondering - Sokka, are you okay?”

Sokka sat up and looked at Aang. “Why would I not be okay?”

“You look confused, that’s all,” Aang shrugged. Aang was always perceptive of others feelings, and that had always surprised Sokka. 

“Ah, no,” Sokka replied, shaking his head. “Just hungover, I think.”

“Want to walk Appa with me?” Aang asked, holding up the leash in his hand. “That’s what I was going to ask you. It’s a nice day for a long walk, and I could use some company.”

“Sure, little buddy,” Sokka replied, getting out of bed. “Sounds like fun. Have you asked Zuko?”

“I stopped in front of his room and I could hear him blasting  _ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) _ , so I’m going to assume he’s out,” Aang replied, laughing. “And your sister said something about grocery shopping.”

“All right, cool,” Sokka replied, pulling on his sneakers. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Sweet.”

Sokka followed Aang out of the loft, Appa leading the way and panting happily. Sokka will just have to deal with this whole Suki situation later.

* * *

Three days later, on Tuesday, Suki still could not stop thinking about her night with Sokka. It was honestly some of the best sex of her life, with someone she both already knew and had chemistry with. What was so wrong with that?

It was like Sokka did something to her. It was like he put her under a spell and now she just wanted  _ more _ . She wanted to taste his lips on hers again, wanted to explore his body without so much of a second thought. 

Groaning, Suki picked up her phone and began scrolling through her contacts. This was a bad idea, a very bad idea. She found the number she wanted, hit it without even thinking about it, and placed the phone to her ear, leg bouncing in anticipation.

“What’s up, Suki?” Sokka asked on the other side, sounding surprised. “Everything okay?”

“So, I cannot stop thinking about the other night,” Suki told him, leg still bouncing. “I just cannot get it out of my mind.”

“Oh, okay, well -” Sokka started.

“It was just… everything? Like, I was not expecting it to be as amazing as it was, yet here I am, still very much thinking about it, and wanting more,” Suki rushed through. “But I know this is a very bad idea, because you are  _ the worst _ , and I just-”

“Suki, woah,” Sokka interrupted, his voice gentle. “It’s okay. Really.” 

“It is?”

“I can’t stop thinking about it either,” Sokka told her. “It was… well like you said, it was an amazing night.” 

“I just can’t stop thinking about what you did with your body,” Suki whispered, perking up a bit. She just remembered she was still at work, and she could hear footsteps passing her door. 

“I could do it again?” Sokka offered, the sound of hope in his voice.

“Ty Lee has a late night shoot tonight,” Suki told him. “Meet me at my place after work.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I’m out,” Sokka told her. 

But before he could hang up, she said, “Sokka. Don’t tell  _ anyone _ .”

“I won’t, I won’t.” He then hung up, Suki staring at her phone. 

Looks like they’re in it now.

* * *

True to his word, Sokka was at Suki’s apartment twenty minutes after he got out of work. Suki had barely opened the door before Sokka’s mouth was on hers, whipping the door closed behind him. 

Suki pulled him towards her bedroom, already working on unbuttoning his shirt. 

“You really wanted this again, huh?” Sokka asked as he shrugged out of his shirt, letting it fall to the floor. 

“Breathe one word of this,” Suki told him as he helped her pull off her sweater, “and I’ll kick your ass.”

“That’s so hot,” Sokka told her, fiddling with the button on her pants. 

Suki just replied with a heated kiss, feeling Sokka’s hand slide below the waistband of her underwear. 

Whatever was going to happen was going to happen. She and Sokka will just have to figure it all out later.

But Suki did know one thing: she liked the way his body moved with hers, the way they weirdly fit together like two puzzle pieces. She enjoyed laying in bed with him afterwards, stroking his hair as he cuddled up next to her.

And, in a chaotic sort of sense, she liked the secrecy of it all. 


	5. Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka gets Zuko a cookie. That's it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The amount of times I've used this particular Fall Out Boy song as a chapter title lol. Also, how could you forget the most ICONIC scene of New Girl? You just cannot. 
> 
> This chapter takes place after Chapter 9 (A Father's Love) in the original work. Enjoy!

Sunday afternoon, Zuko sat at the island as he ate a bowl of cereal and scrolled through his social media on his phone. Though he tried as hard as he could to focus on the words on his screen, he could not stop thinking about the horrible week he had had. Ozai had come to the loft to taunt him, he finally opened up to Katara about his shitty childhood and his scar,  _ and  _ he and June had broken up. 

Then again, telling Katara the truth about his childhood wasn’t the worst thing in the world. He still remembered how her hand felt on his shoulder, the way she looked at him with soft, caring eyes as he spilled his guts to her. He hadn’t been that open with anyone since… well since his uncle made him go to therapy when he was a teeanger, and even then he was barely open with his therapist. Zuko hated feeling like a burden to people, but with Katara? Well, he didn’t feel like a burden because she was willing to hold his broken pieces in her hands, putting them back together like an imperfect mosaic. Because that’s what he was, wasn’t he? An imperfect human made up of broken pieces.

He shook his head of these thoughts, trying to push away the soft feelings of Katara he had in his mind. She had just broken up with Haru, and he had just ended things with June. There was absolutely no reason for him to be thinking this way. 

Once he finished his cereal, he got up and went to put his bowl in the sink as Sokka walked into the loft after spending a night with Suki.

“Hey, man,” Sokka said, walking into the kitchen. “Think fast.”

Zuko turned just in time to see something flying in the air headed his way. Despite being blind in his left eye, he still had his sight, and depth perception, in his right eye, so he was luckily able to catch whatever Sokka just threw at him, which just happened to be a tiny paper bag. Opening it, Zuko saw a cookie inside.

“What’s this for?” Zuko asked, reaching in the bag and pulling out the cookie. 

Sokka shrugged as he made his way to the fridge. “A cookie.”

“Uh, why?” Zuko asked, taking a bite. Chocolate chip, his favorite.

“Just because,” Sokka answered, pulling out the milk carton and then reaching up to grab a bowl and cereal from the cabinet. 

“Huh,” Zuko stated, taking another bite. “That’s - okay.”

Sokka paused what he was doing and looked at Zuko, a confused look on his face. “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Zuko replied, starting to feel a bit weird.

Sokka shook his head, but didn’t say anything. He just continued to make his own bowl of cereal. Just then, Aang walked in from the hallway, Appa on his leash after a morning walk. 

“Sokka bought me a cookie,” Zuko told Aang, pointing at Sokka, who just rolled his eyes and placed the milk back in the fridge.

Aang looked up from taking off Appa’s leash. “Right on. What kind?”

“Chocolate chip,” Zuko answered, his grip tightening on the cookie so that it was now crumbling.

“Cool,” Aang replied, letting Appa run off to his water bowl on the other side of the room. 

“Dude, is this a problem?” Sokka snapped, dropping his spoon in the bowl. He was now sitting at the island, glaring at Zuko.

“Why did you buy me a cookie?” Zuko asked, placing the broken cookie back in the bag and placing it on the counter. 

“Because I went to get coffee this morning and I saw it and thought of you,” Sokka replied, as if the answer was obvious. “I knew you liked chocolate chip, I knew you had a rough week, so I got it for you.”

“So, what, you were just thinking of me?” Zuko asked, frowning slightly. 

Sokka nodded. “Yeah, man, you’re my friend. Sometimes I think of you.”

“Zuko, are you okay?”Aang asked, looking over at Zuko. “You seem like you’re spiraling a bit.”

“It’s just - should a grown man be buying another grown man cookies?” Zuko commented, feeling himself tense up. “Like, I don’t know, do men do that?”

Sokka and Aang made eye contact, a bemused look on the former’s face as he looked back at Zuko.

“I mean - I don’t know,” Zuko finished, feeling his face flush. 

“Listen, Zuko, I think I’m the last person to comment on fragile masculinity,” Sokka stated, picking up his spoon again. “I got you a cookie, get over it.”

Zuko went to open his mouth, but his eye caught Aang’s who just shook his head. Grumbling slightly, Zuko made up an excuse about how he had stuff to do, then stalked in his room, leaving Sokka and Aang behind. 

He felt weird about what just happened. Not so much the fact that Sokka  _ gave him a cookie _ , but just the fact that occasionally Sokka was looking out for him. 

Sokka, on the other hand, just sighed as he continued eating. Aang sat next to him, Appa running over and resting his head near his knee. 

“That was weird right?” Aang asked Sokka, scratching Appa’s ear. 

“Zuko’s just been going through some stuff,” Sokka replied. “But it’s whatever, I guess.”

“You’re hurt,” Aang commented, giving Sokka a grin. “Like, you’re actually offended he reacted this way, aren’t you?”

“I mean, a little bit,” Sokka replied, looking at Aang. “He made a big deal out of nothing. It was just a damn cookie.”

“You know, now that I think of it,” Aang said, rubbing his chin, “Zuko has never really been one to tell us how he feels.” 

“You just realized that now?” Sokka asked, raising his eyebrow. “He’s been like that for as long as I can remember.” 

“It doesn’t bother you?”

Sokka shrugged. “I mean, yeah, a little bit. I’m not going to make a big deal out of this, though.”

“You could if you want to mess with him, though,” Aang pointed out, mischief twinkling in his eyes. 

“He’s already had such a rough week,” Sokka stated, but grinning nonetheless. “We’ll see how it acts, then we can figure it out.”

* * *

Zuko really wasn’t sure what had happened that morning, wasn’t really sure how to react to the fact that Sokka got him a cookie, but he wasn’t able to stop thinking about it.  _ Why  _ was Sokka thinking about him? Did his friends always think of him when they’re out and about? Was he a bad friend for never thinking of them like that? Was he selfish? 

Unable to quiet his mind, Zuko paced around his room trying to figure out what to do. He could just ignore the act, just pretend that everything was normal. Yeah, that’s what he was going to do. 

But was that really a good idea?

“Another breakdown,” he muttered to himself, running his hands over his face. “Awesome, love this for me.”

Deciding he needed another perspective, Zuko opened his door and went across the hall to Aang’s room, knocking loudly on the door.

“Yeah!” Aang called, signaling for Zuko to open the door, which he did so. Aang was sitting cross legged on the floor on a yoga mat, Appa laying next to him.

“Ah, am I interrupting something?” Zuko asked, looking down at Aang. “I can come back.”

“Gyatso told me to try yoga,” Aang shrugged, standing up and stretching his hands up. “I got to say, I like it.”

“So, can I get some advice then?” Zuko asked as Aang made his way towards his bed and sat down.

Aang raised his eyebrow. “What if I said no?”

“Please?” Zuko asked. “I just need some advice.”

“Are you going to ask me if Sokka is mad at you?” Aang asked in return. When Zuko nodded hesitantly, Aang sighed. “Listen, he’s hurt, sure, but not mad. He knows you had a rough week, but maybe you should talk to him about this.”

“He won’t listen,” Zuko stated, shaking his head. “I just don’t get why -”

“Zuko, seriously?” Aang interrupted, shaking his head again. “He was just thinking of you after a rough week, okay? And why do you think he won’t listen? Just talk to him.”

“I just - I’m not  _ good  _ at talking about my feelings,” Zuko said. “I never have been.”

“Yeah, we know,” Aang retorted, this time rolling his eyes.

“Listen, I don’t know, it’s just hard opening up sometimes,” Zuko told him. “I mean, I really only told Katara and -”

“Told Katara?” Aang asked, tilting his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Zuko felt himself go red. “Uh, everything?”

“Huh,” Aang said, grinning slightly. 

“What?”

“Nothing, just you told the girl you met only a few months ago everything,” Aang explained, “but not the two guys you’ve known for ten years.”

“She’s persistent,” Zuko said through gritted teeth. 

“I’m sure,” Aang replied. Momo ran out of the closet and hopped onto the bed, walking into Aang’s lap. 

“Can you just tell me how to solve this whole thing with Sokka?” Zuko asked again, trying to ignore Aang’s smirk. 

“I think it has more to do with the fact that sometimes we both do nice things for you,” Aang stated as he scratched Momo’s ears, “and you never return the favor.”

“Both of you?” Zuko asked incredulously. “I’m dealing with Sokka, not you too.”

“Did you ever notice that I say goodnight to you every night,” Aang told him, looking right at Zuko. “And you never say it back. What, do you not want me to have a good night?”

“No, I -”

“Then what?” 

“I don’t know, I just don’t think about it,” Zuko admitted, finally realizing what Aang meant. 

Aang raised his eyebrows. “There it is. Listen, Zuko, we know you’ve had a rough few weeks. We know that your past can sometimes trigger you, or that it causes you to struggle to open up. But we’re your friends, dude, and we get hurt when you push us aside.”

Zuko stood there quietly, going over what Aang said in his mind. Of course Aang was right. Sometimes he got so lost in himself that he forgot about the people who cared about him, and that really wasn’t fair. 

“Just talk to Sokka,” Aang told him. “Seriously.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Zuko said, nodding. “Uh, thanks, Aang.” 

“Of course,” Aang replied. 

“Oh, and, I’m sorry I never told you anything about my past,” Zuko exclaimed. “I, uh, never thought about it. I just wanted to keep that part of myself hidden and forgotten about.”

Aang waved his hand. “Zuko, that’s really not a problem. You don’t have to tell us anything unless you want to. Seriously, we’re not mad about that.”

“Thanks.” But as Zuko went to turn around, Aang called out again.

“Hey, and sorry about your dad,” Aang stated. “I know you don’t have the best relationship with him, and you don’t have to go into details, but I am sorry about what happened.”

“Thanks, Aang,” Zuko repeated. “Really. I needed this.”

Aang just nodded as Zuko made his way out of the room and back down the hall. He spotted Katara in the living room, sitting on the couch with the remote in her hand, staring at the TV. Despite the good advice he got from Aang, he still wanted Katara’s advice too. 

“Hey,” he said sitting down besides her. “Am I a bad friend?”

Katara made a face and looked at Zuko. “Are you a bad friend?”

Zuko just nodded.

“I mean, I don’t think you’re a bad friend,” Katara said, focusing her attention on Zuko. “Well, not to me anyways. Why?”

“Your brother and Aang,” Zuko explained. “They’re two of my best friends, and they care about me a lot. More than I realized they did. And I guess I just feel like I haven’t been a good friend to them. I feel selfish.”

“Zuko, you’re not a bad friend,” Katara told him, resting a hand on Zuko’s. “Sure, you’re not the best when it comes to feelings, but they know you care about them.”

“Sometimes I think about the fact that if I met them  _ now  _ as opposed to in college, we wouldn’t be friends,” Zuko told her. “We’re so different. Aang is this carefree, easy going guy currently doing yoga in his room. Sokka graduated with honors in college, got his Masters degree in mechanical engineering, and now works for a prominent engineering company making triple what I make. And me? I’m some law school drop out who works at a bar barely scraping by.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you met them in college then,” Katara assured him, giving him a soft smile. “Who cares that you guys are different? I have never met a group of guys who get along so well until I moved in here. Seriously. It doesn’t matter that you’re different, because you guys just  _ work _ .”

“You really think that?” Zuko asked. 

“Yeah,” Katara replied, her hand tightening around Zuko’s. 

“This week has been totally shit,” Zuko told her. “I think I’m definitely overthinking this.”

Katara laughed and released Zuko’s hand. “You think? But you know what, you’re allowed to overthink after what happened. How are you feeling by the way?”

“About what?”

“June? Your dad?” Katara emphasized, leaning back on the couch, shifting slightly so that she turned to look at Zuko, tucking one leg under the other. 

“My break up with June was mutual,” Zuko explained. “It sucked, but really I’m fine there. My dad on the other hand… still a bit shaken up, to be honest.” 

“Makes sense,” Katara said. “Coming face to face with your abuser is not ideal. Anything I can do to help?”

“Just you being here, honestly,” Zuko told her sincerely. “I’m fine, Katara, really.”

Katara gave him a small grin, leaning her head on her hand as she looked at Zuko. Zuko bit his lip.

“Hey, uh, I just realized something,” Zuko said. “I never asked you about your breakup with Haru.”

Katara laughed. “Zuko, it’s been a month.”

“I know, but we just discussed that I can be a dick and forget to check in on people,” Zuko pointed out, returning her smile. 

“Okay, fine,” Katara laughed. “In the moment, it really sucked, but afterwards? Aang pointed out that because I was so calm about it, maybe the relationship wasn’t meant to be.”

“That makes sense,” Zuko replied. “Sorry I didn’t ask sooner.”

“Zuko, you’re the reason I was even able to  _ get  _ with Haru,” Katara teased, giving him a shove on the shoulder. “So don’t even worry about it.” 

“Fine, then I’ll never ask you about your relationships ever again,” Zuko replied, crossing his arms and looking away from Katara dramatically. “Or give you advice.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Katara replied, shoving Zuko again. “I like your advice.”

Zuko turned back to her and grinned. “If you say so.” 

“I do!” Katara exclaimed. “Anyways, I got to go. Suki and I have a lunch date.”

“Have fun,” Zuko told her as Katara got up and made her way to her room to get ready. 

Zuko figured he would have to do something to make it up to Sokka. Just what, he’s not sure.

* * *

Katara made it to the restaurant before Suki, scrolling through her emails as she waited for her friend to show up. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long as Suki appeared only a few moments later.

“Sorry for being late!” Suki exclaimed, sitting down across from Katara. “Ty Lee needed me to help her decide on an outfit for an interview she has.”

“No worries!” Katara assured her, placing her phone back into her purse. “Ready for a girls’ lunch?”

“Ugh, yes,” Suki replied, picking up the drink menu and squinting at it. “I think we needed this, honestly.”

“Absolutely,” Katara agreed, picking up her own drink menu.

The two girls studied their menus before placing their orders with the waiter. For some reason, Katara felt like she hadn’t seen Suki in a while despite the fact that she was almost always over now that she and Sokka were official. That felt weird to Katara, the fact that her brother and her best friend were now a couple. Not that Katara minded, since she had always somewhat hoped it might happen someday. Still, Katara couldn’t shake the feeling that they might both forget about her.

“Hey, you okay?” Suki asked when their drinks were dropped off. “You look like you’re thinking about something pretty hard.”

“It’s silly,” Katara admitted, feeling her cheeks flush.

“Sure, but I won’t judge,” Suki said, taking a sip of her drink. “So what’s up?”

“You and Sokka… you really like each other a lot right?” Katara asked, circling her finger on the rim of her glass. 

“Yes,” Suki answered, confused. “I mean, yeah we did start off with just sex but… yeah, I really like your brother. A lot. It’s weird, and complicated, and new, but I just… really adore him.”

Katara smiled. “Okay, that’s really good to hear.”

“Katara, there’s more,” Suki said, arching an eyebrow. “Come on, spill it.”

“I know you guys really like each other,” Katara explained, “and you make each other happy. But… I knew you first, dammit. And he’s  _ my  _ brother. And I’m so, so happy for you but -”

“But you’re nervous we’re going to forget about you,” Suki finished, reaching over and placing a comforting hand on Katara’s. 

Katara nodded sheepishly. 

“Katara, you were my friend before Sokka was my boyfriend,” Suki told her. “Nothing will change that, he’s not going to replace you as my best friend.”

“So being slightly jealous of my brother is not that weird?” Katara asked.

Suki shook her head. “Nah, I don’t think so. I love you , bitch. I’m never going to stop loving you,  _ bitch _ .”

Katara burst out into laughter, pulling her hand away from Suki’s and clutching her stomach.

“See,” Suki grinned. “But seriously, Katara, I love you a whole lot, and I promise to not ruin our friendship just because I’m dating your brother.”

Katara composed herself, wiping a tear from her eye before looking at Suki. “I’m really just glad you guys are happy. Really, I am. I don’t think I’ve seen either of you this happy in a long time.”

Suki grinned. “Thanks, Katara. I am really happy. Now, can we  _ please  _ talk about last night’s episode of  _ The Bachelor _ ?”

Katara laughed. “Yes, we can.”

* * *

Sokka and Aang were in the kitchen again. Aang was sitting at the island, reading an article he found on his phone out loud to Sokka who was cooking dinner. 

“Aang, what the hell are you reading?” Sokka asked, turning from the stove and staring at Aang.

“An article about bears, please keep up, Sokka,” Aang retorted.

Sokka just shook head and focused back on his cooking as Aang continued reading out loud. Sokka did have to admit, the article was really interesting, and he was glad Aang found something he enjoyed.

The front door opened, and Zuko stalked in.

“Uh, Sokka,” Zuko said, stopping next to the island. “I got you something.”

Sokka held his hand out, catching what Zuko tossed at him. He peeked into the bag.

“Hope you like it,” Zuko grumbled about to turn around.

“A cookie?” Sokka asked, looking back up at Zuko, amusement in his face. 

“Yeah, you know, for the one you got me,” Zuko replied, waving his hand.

“Ah,” Sokka said, looking back at Aang, who just shrugged.

“You gave me a cookie, I got you a cookie,” Zuko said, motioning between him and Sokka. “So, we’re even.”

“I mean, I guess so,” Sokka smirked, placing the cookie down on the counter. 

“You gave me a cookie,” Zuko repeated. “You gave me cookie, I gave you cookie.”

“Okay,” Sokka said, looking at Zuko.

“Gave me cookie, got you cookie!” Zuko exclaimed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know what you want! I’m trying, here!”

“Zuko, please relax!” Sokka exclaimed, placing his spoon down and turning towards Zuko. “Seriously, Zuko, it’s okay!”

“But I thought you were mad at me!” Zuko exclaimed. “I’ve been wracking my brain all day trying to figure out how to prove that I’m a good friend!”

“Zuko, you  _ are  _ a good friend,” Sokka told him. “Seriously.”

“Yeah, but you think of me when you’re shopping and you get me a damn cookie,” Zuko continued, now rubbing his scar. “You care about me, and I never did anything to show that I do too.”

“Zuko, buddy, you do plenty,” Sokka assured him. “You do know that everyone shows people how much they care by different acts, right?”

Zuko blinked. 

“Like, I got you a cookie because I knew you had a bad week,” Sokka stated. “Aang shows us he cares by giving good advice when we ask. You show us you care but just sitting and hanging out with us even after you’ve had a long day. Or you move our clothes from the washer to the dryer when you see it’s ready. Or when you go grocery shopping with Katara, you remind her about our favorite foods. You don’t realize you do it, but you do.”

Zuko blinked again. “I - I guess it never occurred to me.”

“You don’t have to be like Aang or I,” Sokka continued. “You’re our friend, and we care about you. And we both know you care about us.”

“Yeah, okay,” Zuko replied, rubbing his scar again. “I’m sorry.”

Sokka waved his hand and picked his spoon up again, turning back towards the stove. “Don’t worry. It’s fine. What kind of cookie did you get me anyways?”

“Gingerbread,” Zuko answered, now walking over to the island and sitting next to Aang. “I remembered that you told me in college that they were your favorite. Figured you still liked them.”

“Hell yeah I do!” Sokka claimed. “Thanks!”

“Sure,” Zuko shrugged, now looking at Aang. “What are you doing?”

“Reading an article about bears,” Aang explained. “I was reading it to Sokka if you want to join.”

“Bears are dope,” Zuko shrugged. “Let me grab a beer and I’m in.”

Half hour later, Katara and Suki walked into the three boys eating dinner together, still ranting about bears as they ate. The girls exchanged a look, the boys not even noticing, before heading to Katara’s room, giving the boys their time together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I think the next few chapters might be shorter. Like I said before, me writing this is just me being super self indulgent because the original AU was my pride and joy and I missed writing it. The next few chapters will probably be smaller scenes that fill in the gaps of the previous work. For example, I time skip a lot, so I might just slip in a chapter or 2 in between to make up for lost time. Who knows really! I have one particular scene planned out (I won't hide it, it's Taang), but I want to wait a bit before I do that one. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you're still here reading and enjoying! Thanks for sticking with me :)


	6. Work Work Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang decides it's time to try and figure out what he and Ty Lee are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I played with Aang and Ty Lee a little bit in the original work, but never really went into it. So this chapter king of explores that relationship, but not really. Also, this chapter is shorter than my usual because, well, to be honest, it served it's purpose. 
> 
> Chapter can be read after Chapter 15 (Life Changing Moves) in the original work.

One Wednesday night, beginning of June, Aang and Ty Lee sat at their favorite table inside their favorite coffee shop a few streets away from the loft. Aang had just finished work with Suki, and Ty Lee had a free night for once, so they decided to meet up to hang out. Both were working on their own individual work as Aang had been accepted into the education program at the local college and wanted to get a head start on his school work, especially since the syllabus looked extremely daunting. 

They hadn’t exactly been ‘dating’, they had gone on a few dates here and there, but they never decided to be an official couple. Aang liked Ty Lee enough, and he knows she enjoys his company, but he never really thought about what their relationship was exactly. 

He looked up at Ty Lee, trying to figure out how to approach the conversation. 

“Hey, Ty Lee,” Aang said.

Ty Lee looked up from her laptop where she had been emailing back and forth with her agent. “What’s up, Aang?”

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Aang said, pushing his own laptop away. “Uh, what are we?”

“What are we?” Ty Lee asked, closing her laptop. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve gone on a few dates, and we hang out a lot,” Aang explained, “but I don’t think we’re a couple, are we?”

Ty Lee scrunched her nose. “It doesn’t feel that way, does it?” 

“No, it doesn’t,” Aang agreed. “I mean, I like hanging out with you a lot but…”

“I like hanging out with you too, Aang,” Ty Lee stated, giving Aang a charming smile. “But we haven’t done much other than hang out, you know?”

“Right, right,” Aang nodded. “And, well, with me going back to school, I’m going to get really busy.”

“And I have more gigs coming up,” Ty Lee added. “Maybe we’re better off as friends?”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Aang stated. He figured this would happen, but still. 

“You’re a great guy, Aang,” Ty Lee told him. “You’re going to make another girl really happy one day with your goofy personality and winning smile.”

Aang gave Ty Lee an over exaggerated smile, placing his hands on his hips proudly as he raised his chin in triumph. Ty Lee fell into a fit of giggles. 

“See!” Ty Lee told him. 

“We can still hang out though, right?” Aang asked, looking back at Ty Lee. 

“Duh,” Ty Lee answered. “Who else am I going to teach the entire script of  _ Clueless  _ to?”

“Deal!” Aang replied, laughing. 

Ty Lee gave him one last grin before opening her laptop once more and getting back to work. 

Aang wasn’t upset about this, in fact, he honestly wanted to stay just friends with Ty Lee. She gave awesome advice, and she was fun to be around, but Aang figured she wasn’t ‘the one’. Whatever that means. Glancing at Ty Lee once more, Aang grabbed his laptop and continued reviewing the syllabus for his upcoming class. 

Maybe this was for the best.

* * *

Running the bar was not that much different than just working as a bartender. Zuko had already been familiar with everything that went behind the scenes, already knew how to make the schedule, complete the books, count stock. Really, Zuko did not need much training, so he was able to take over as soon as Roku left. Still, he missed  _ only  _ being a bartender sometimes, which meant that on most days, Zuko found himself behind the bar, wiping it down and serving customers left and right. Sure, that put more work on him, but he liked being busy. 

Tonight was no different. He stood at the bar, Toph sitting in front of him, gripping a glass in her hand as she ranted and raved once more about people who think she is incapable. This time, though, it was her parents.

“I get it, I live away from home,” she was saying, her knuckles white as she gripped the glass. “They think I can’t take care of myself, they don’t understand how I’m making it in a crowded city being blind. I am almost  _ thirty _ , dammit! And they still want to keep me on a leash.”

“I know, Toph, I know,” Zuko replied. Toph didn’t really like when people gave her advice, she just preferred when people listened to her vent while occasionally signaling that they were still listening. 

“Everyday they call me asking to move home,” she continued, shaking her head. “‘Oh, Toph, how do you do it? We’re so worried about you!’ I'm fine thank you very much!”

“You can handle yourself better than anyone,” Zuko agreed. 

Toph downed the rest of the drink in her glass before slamming it on the bar.

“Woah, Toph,” Zuko said, “I get you’re mad, but treat my bar with respect please.”

Toph grinned. “ _ Your  _ bar. Absolutely wild. Can I get another?”

“Sure, Toph,” Zuko replied, catching the glass in his hand as Toph slid it over to him. He quickly remade her drink and passed it back to her, looking up to see Aang making his way over.

“Hey guys,” Aang said, sitting down next to Toph and giving her a pat on the shoulder. “How’s it going?”

“I just got my well earned anger about my parents out, so now it’s going better,” Toph told him, raising her glass to her lips. 

Aang winced. “Ouch, they called you again?”

“Yep,” Toph replied, placing her glass down. “I just ranted to Sparky though, so I’m not repeating it, Twinkle Toes.”

Aang just laughed. “Yeah, yeah, that’s fine. Sorry, Toph.”

Toph shrugged before lifting her glass again. Aang turned his attention to Zuko.

“Hey, weren’t you with Ty Lee today?” Zuko asked, raising his lone eyebrow at Aang. Katara had told him about finding out that Aang and Ty Lee were a ‘thing’, and Zuko was somewhat surprised when he found out. They’re not very different personality wise, but Zuko was honestly worried that Ty Lee would chew Aang up then spit him out. 

“Oh yeah,” Aang answered. “We were just working at the coffee shop by the loft, but then she had to go, so I figured I’d come here and hang out.”

“How is that going anyways?” Zuko asked. When Aang gave him a questioning look he continued, “You and Ty Lee. So are you guys official or anything?”

“Ah, about that,” Aang replied, slightly red. “We decided to stay friends. Don’t get me wrong, she’s awesome, and we’ve had a lot of fun, but we both figured a relationship wasn’t where we were heading.”

“Ouch, Twinkle Toes, that sucks,” Toph replied, giving Aang a sympathy pat. 

Aang waved his hand. “Really, it’s fine. To be honest, I never even kissed her. Just don’t say anything, I hate when people get all weird about ending relationships.”

Without saying anything, Zuko turned around and made Aang a drink, sliding it over to Aang as an offering.

Aang picked it up gratefully. “You’re the man, Zuko.”

“I do my best,” Zuko shrugged. “Still, sorry guys.”

“Hey, look at us,” Toph said, leaning back in her stool. “Twinkle Toes and I are having a shitty night, then there’s Zuko: he has a girlfriend, he’s manager of a bar, he’s at his peak right now.” 

“Wow, I’ve never been the one at his peak before,” Zuko mused, grinning at Aang and Toph. “Is this what it feels like?”

“Don’t get smug,” Aang commented, taking a sip of his drink. “But, yes, that’s what that feels like.”

“To Zuko!” Toph said, lifting her drink in the air. 

“Zuko!” Aang replied, clinking his drink to Toph’s.

Zuko watched them, shaking his head slightly. 

Quickly, though, they seemed to forget about him because Toph and Aang were now in their own bubble, discussing the education system and how it treats students with disabilities. Toph, being blind, was extremely passionate about the topic, and Aang seemed to know just what to say to placate her. Zuko watched them, squinting his eyes at the duo. Something was there, but he wasn’t exactly sure what, and he wasn’t the one who was going to say anything. 

Shrugging, he left them alone and went back to his office where there were paystubs waiting for him to sign. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some Taang crumbs. As a treat. Also, the Zuko, Toph, and Aang trio do not get enough love and I really need to work on that, clearly.


	7. Nerves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara is starting her new job and, out of nerves, is overworking herself to prepare. Luckily, she has three roommates who care enough about her to help her take a step back and enjoy her time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't have a lot of just the original four hanging out, so I thought I would explore it more. Also, this chapter was a little bit inspired by Season 6, Episode 7 "Rumspringa", but without them getting trapped in a wine cellar lol. 
> 
> This can be read in between Chapter 17 (The I in Lie) and Chapter 18 (XO) of the original work!

August was almost over and Katara was starting her new position at the elementary school as an OT after being with the middle school for years. She was excited for her new position, excited about the new opportunities that it will bring to her, but if she was being honest, she was extremely nervous. Katara was used to being in control, used to knowing every little detail about what was going to happen in her life, whether it was her relationships or her job. 

Of course, the school had already sent over files about each child on her caseload, and Katara was working tirelessly studying every child and all of their accommodations. Already she was creating activities and tests for her to complete with each child, overworking herself so much that her roommates were starting to get a bit worried. 

“Do you think we should stop her?” Aang whispered to Zuko and Sokka as they all stood in the hallway, staring at Katara who was sitting at the kitchen table with all of her files and paperwork spread out in front of her. 

“She kind of reminds me of a robot,” Zuko observed as Katara picked up one of the files, looked at it briefly, then threw it back on the table before grabbing another one. “I won’t lie to you guys, I am  _ very  _ turned on right now.”

Sokka punched Zuko in the stomach.

“Oomf!” Zuko exclaimed, trying to keep quiet so as to not disturb Katara. “What was that for!?”

“That’s my sister you’re talking about!” Sokka stated, shaking his head at Zuko before turning back to Katara who was now squinting at her laptop. Luckily, she had headphones in, so she could not hear the three boys talking about her.

“Yeah, and she’s my girlfriend,” Zuko reminded him, “and sometimes she’s really sexy when she -”

Sokka punched Zuko again, causing Aang to stifle a laugh. 

“So what do we do?” Aang asked when he finally calmed down. “Seriously, she’s been like this for, what? Three days?”

“Four,” Zuko corrected. When Aang and Sokka just looked at him, he shrugged and said, “I had to rely on my imagination for the past four days.”

“Ugh!” Sokka gagged, punching Zuko again. 

Aang grimaced and turned away. “Okay, thanks, Zuko.”

“Listen, Katara has always been like this,” Sokka told them, glancing back at his sister. “She cares way too much about everyone and everything, and when she gets nervous, she puts all of her energy into working. Which, you know, doesn’t mesh well when the thing she’s nervous about is work.”

“She’s picked up the same file at least seven times,” Aang observed as Katara, like he said, picked up the same exact file she’s been continuously staring at. “She has to know right?”

“I mean, what can we do?” Zuko asked, staring longingly at Katara. “I miss my girlfriend.”

Sokka went to punch Zuko again, but he held his hands up quickly to defend himself.

“I meant in general!” Zuko exclaimed, as Sokka paused slightly. “Damn, dude, I promise I don’t just use your sister for sex.”

Sokka crossed his arms. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Just then, Katara took out a headphone and looked up from her work, noticing the three boys staring at her. “Uh, hi guys?”

Aang looked away as nonchalantly as possible, Sokka looked down at his feet, and Zuko stuck his hands in his pockets and began whistling. 

“Were you guys watching me?” Katara asked, a bit bemused as she took out her second headphone and stared at her three roommates.

Zuko shrugged. “I mean, a little bit?”

“Why?” Katara asked, chuckling. 

“Well, I was watching you because I miss you and watching you work is kind of a turn on,” Zuko answered.

Sokka gagged again but didn’t punch Zuko this time.

“And the other two?” Katara asked, pointing at Aang and Sokka.

“Oh, them?” Zuko asks, motioning between the two boys. “Worried about you.”

“Worried?” Katara blinked, making a face at Sokka and Aang.

“Katara, you’ve been at that table for four days,” Sokka told her, finally walking over and taking the seat across from her, pushing the files away from him.

“That is, if Zuko’s count is correct,” Aang smirked, taking a seat next to Sokka.

“Guys, I’m just preparing for my new job,” Katara exclaimed, holding up one of the files. “Nothing to worry about.”

Zuko took a seat next to Katara. “We weren’t the first two days, but on day three? Little concerned.”

“Yeah, Katara, take a break,” Sokka said. “Come hang out with us or something.”

“I don’t know,” Katara replied, biting her lip. “I have so many new kids with different accommodations and tests I need to plan for, and a new school system I need to learn and -”

“Katara, it is mid-August,” Zuko interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder. “School starts in September. You can relax a bit.”

“Okay, maybe, but what if I take a break and never pick up my work again and then I get to school the first day and know absolutely nothing,” Katara stated, glancing at the three boys.

“Katara, no one goes into a new job or class or anything knowing absolutely everything there is to know about everything,” Aang explained. “Trust me, I know.”

“Yeah, there’s also such a thing as over preparing,” Sokka added. “If you over prepare you get all worked up and anxious, like you’re doing right now.”

“Okay, but what if -” Katara tried, but the three boys all motioned for her to stop.

“You know what, you’re done,” Zuko told her, reaching over and closing Katara’s laptop. “You need to take a break. Step away from work for a day or two maybe before coming back to it.”

Katara sighed. “And what will I do? Because if I sit here and do nothing, I will get anxious about not working.”

“I mean, it’s been four days,” Zuko stated, pretending to pout. “And my bedroom, or your bedroom, is right -”

“No, no, stop it,” Soka said, placing his hands over his ears. “I don’t need to hear this.”

Aang also made a face of disgust as Katara burst out laughing and elbowed Zuko in the ribs. 

“That can be later, I promise,” Katara told him, as Sokka blanched. “But, I won’t lie, I like the idea of the four of us doing something?”

“Great,” Aang replied, jumping up. “First, clean up all this, and we can figure something out.”

“Deal,” Katara agreed, beginning to clean up all of her files and paperwork. 

She listened to the three boys discuss their ideas of where they could take Katara to help her relax, and Katara couldn’t help but smile to herself. They were right, she  _ was  _ working too hard, and she appreciated that they were taking the time to take care of her. Especially Zuko. 

Quickly, she finished cleaning up the table, shoving everything into her bag and bringing it into her bedroom. She threw the bag on her bed, waking up a sleeping Momo, who hissed at her for disturbing her.

“Oops, sorry, Momo,” Katara replied, walking over and trying to give Momo a soothing pat. He nipped her finger, but let her stroke him as an apology for waking him up.

She kissed Momo on the nose, then made her way back to the kitchen. 

“So, we have decided not to tell you where we are taking you,” Sokka announced when she sat back down at the table.

“Not telling me?” Katara asked, looking at Zuko who just grinned at her. “Even Mr. Sweatback is going to keep this secret?”

“Yep,” Zuko replied. 

“All right then,” Katara said, grinning at her boys. “When are we leaving?”

Sokka looked at the watch on his wrist. “Now.”

Together, the three boys stood up, Zuko grabbing Katara under the armpits and lifting her out of her seat as she started giggling. He brought her to the front door where her shoes were so they could all get ready, then Sokka led the way downstairs towards the street where his car was parked. 

“I’m excited about this,” Katara noted as they were well on their way to wherever the boys were taking her. “Really, I am.”

Aang turned around from the passenger seat and grinned. “It was your boyfriend’s idea, so if this flops, I dare you to withhold sex for a whole week.”

“Oh, I like that,” Katara smirked, looking at Zuko mischievously. 

“Hold on, hold on,” Zuko replied, shaking his head. “Not fair at all.”

“I agree with Aang,” Sokka added, “but I say withhold it for a full  _ month _ .”

“Well then, how am  _ I  _ going to make it?” Katara asked, making Sokka scrunch up his nose. 

“Forget I said anything,” he muttered. 

Zuko sighed dramatically, but Katara took his hand in hers, giving it an affectionate squeeze. He turned to look at her, giving her the smile he only reserves for her, the one that always caused her heart to melt in her chest. 

“What?” he asked her quietly, so only she could hear.

“Just you,” Katara told him, stroking his thumb with hers. “Just you.”

Zuko squeezed her hand back, his smile still on his face.

Wherever the boys were taking Katara had to be some ways away from town, as they were in the car for almost two hours. 

“Seriously, where is this place?” Katara asked again, leaning forward so that her head was by Aang’s shoulder. “Sokka, do you know where you’re going?”

“ _ Yes _ , Kat, I know where I’m going,” Sokka scoffed, checking the map on his phone, though, just in case. “We should be there soon.”

Katara let out a breath and sat back in her seat. 

Zuko just looked at her and laughed. “What, are you impatient?”

“A little bit, yes!” she answered, staring back out the window. “I could be working!”

“Ah, ah,” Aang commented, turning around in his seat to look at Katara, “no worrying about work remember?”

Katara was just about to open her mouth to retort, when Sokka exclaimed, “We’re finally here!”

Both Zuko and Katara scooted forward to look out the front window, noticing the line of cars forming on the road. Confused, Katara looked further to see a sign for the Summer Fair that is held every year.

“Oh! In the years since I’ve moved here, I’ve never been here before!” Katara exclaimed, grabbing Zuko’s arm in excitement. 

“I figured,” Zuko commented, grinning at Katara. 

“I’ve never been either actually,” Aang added, leaning forward to look at the line of cars. “I know this is for Katara, but I’m actually super excited.”

“Let’s make a competition,” Sokka said. “Whoever wins the most prizes gets out of grocery shopping for… a whole month.”

“Deal,” Aang replied, holding his hand out for Sokka to shake.

“Seems unfair, considering I do all the grocery shopping anyways,” Katara noted, shaking her head at the boys.

“Okay, fine,” Sokka conceded. “Gets the parking spot for a whole month  _ without  _ having to share?”

“Now  _ that _ I will take,” Katara agreed, and three shook on it while Zuko rolled his eyes. 

Luckily the line moved quickly and Sokka was able to find a parking spot that was a bit of a walk towards the entrance. Not that the four minded, because being stuck in the car for nearly two hours caused them to get a bit groggy. 

Once the tickets were paid for and they were in, Sokka and Aang went one way and Zuko and Katara went the other.

“So, how did you hear about this place?” Katara asked, wrapping an arm around Zuko’s waist. Zuko wrapped his arm around her shoulder leading her towards a row of games.

“My uncle,” Zuko answered as they walked. “After I moved in with him, I was - well, I wasn’t doing too well. I was moody, depressed. You get the picture. Uncle Iroh tried his best to make feel better, but nothing he did helped. He learned about this place and figured, ‘why not’? Though, as a thirteen year old depressed kid, I wasn’t much fun, but I appreciated the sentiment.”

“That’s really sweet,” Katara stated, tightening her arm around Zuko.

“Yeah, I know,” Zuko replied, smiling down at her. “We came every year until I moved into college. My uncle did everything he could to make me feel normal for just one day. The more we went, the more I grew to look forward to coming. I haven’t been in years, but I thought you’d like it.”

“Just the fact that you shared all of that with me,” Katara said, “it really means something. Thank you.”

Zuko shrugged. “Well, you know. I like you a lot and I haven’t scared you off yet, so that means something right?”

Katara laughed. “I guess so.”

“Though, I think I might win that bet you all made,” Zuko commented, steering Katara towards one of the games. 

“How so?”

“Because the people who run the games feel really bad about a guy who’s legally blind in one eye losing terribly to ring toss,” Zuko told her, smirking. 

“That’s so bad!” Katara replied, laughing, while Zuko paid for a game of ring toss. 

“Maybe,” Zuko replied, fiddling with the rings in his hands, “but who needs to know?”

Katara shook her head as Zuko began tossing the rings towards the bottles all lined up neatly. He made a show of closing his left eye to try and see better, muttering under his breath so that the person working winced whenever he missed. Though he did actually successfully get one ring to land on a bottle, Zuko was right: the poor man running the game felt so bad for Zuko, he let him choose a bigger prize. 

“Is this considered cheating?” Katara asked as Zuko handed her the teddy bear she picked out. 

“Maybe?” Zuko laughed. “But I just want to see the look on Aang’s and Sokka’s faces when they find out that I won.”

“Well, then, let’s keep playing,” Katara replied, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards another booth. 

They spent about two hours alone playing games before meeting up with Sokka and Aang. Only Aang had a prize, a strange looking bison with six legs as opposed to four. 

“I dunno,” Aang said, holding it up for the others to look at. “I think it’s based off of some show?”

“Weird,” Sokka commented, studying the strange looking animal. 

Zuko and Katara, meanwhile, had the teddy bear, a stuffed duck they decided to give to Appa, a basketball, and another smaller teddy bear.

“I don’t get it,” Sokka said, throwing his hands up. “You’re  _ legally blind  _ in your left eye. How are you beating these games?”

“Exactly,” Zuko replied, winking at Sokka.

“Cheater!” Sokka hissed pointing at Zuko. 

They decided to eat before heading out on their two hour drive back home. Already, the sun was slowly starting to set, and though they didn’t ride any of the rides, all four were ready to head home. 

“I don’t want to ride those rides anyways,” Sokka said as they all got in the car. “I bet none of them passed inspection.”

“Times I’m glad we live with an engineer,” Zuko stated, “because if I wasn’t with you guys, I probably would have gone on that shaky looking roller coaster and died.”

“I basically just saved your life,” Sokka added, pulling out of the spot. “So you’re welcome.”

The drive home was quiet, more quiet than the ride there. All four were somewhat exhausted even though they didn’t spend so much time there. Katara was cuddling in the backseat with the original teddy bear, staring out the window watching the trees fly by. 

She was thankful for what the boys did for her, thankful that they took the time out of their day to spend time with her just to make sure that she did not drown in her thoughts. 

When they got home, Katara pulled Zuko into her room. 

“Hey, thank you again for today,” she told him, sitting on her bed, the teddy bear still clutched in her arms. “That was really sweet.”

Zuko sat down next to her. “Seeing you happy is the best feeling in the world, Katara. I would honestly do anything to make you smile like you did today.”

“Really?” Katara asked, leaning over and placing a kiss on Zuko’s cheek. 

“Yeah, really,” Zuko answered, turning red. 

How did Katara get so lucky? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me making Zuko's backstory even more emotional than it already is!!


	8. The Original Mess Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suki and Aang's first mess around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know in a later chapter of the original work, I have Aang and Suki explain all of their "mess arounds" to Sokka, but I thought it would be nice to actually see it. Plus, I really like Aang and Suki's friendship, and it's something I wish we got to see more of in ATLA.
> 
> Anyways, there really isn't anywhere to place this chapter, no where specific at least. But do enjoy :)

Suki, I am so bored,” Aang whined, spinning in his chair.

He and Suki were both at work, waiting on yet another meeting with their boss Kyoshi. Since the meeting was in the conference room, and Aang’s cubicle was closest, Suki was hanging out with him while they waited to go in. 

“Don’t you have some files you can organize or something?” Suki asked, looking up from her phone where she was reading the latest email about the meeting. This time, the presentation was  _ attached  _ to the email, that way if people wanted to follow along during the presentation, they could. How exciting!

“ _ Suki _ ,” Aang emphasized, “I already organized those files. I did everything I needed to do.”

“Do you have homework you could work on?” Suki asked, slipping her phone in her pocket and squinting at Aang. “Don’t you have class tonight?”

“Nope, I have classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and today is -” Aang checked the calendar hanging on the wall “- Thursday. So, I’m free tonight to do all the homework I want.”

“You  _ want  _ to do homework?” Suki teased. “I knew I pegged you as a nerd from the moment I met you.” 

“I mean, do  _ you  _ want to write a lesson plan on interdisciplinary subjects?” Aang asked her, raising his eyebrows. “Seriously, I have to create a reading lesson that also ties into social studies. I have an idea, but getting it on paper is hard.”

“Whatever you do, I’m sure it will be fine,” Suki assured him, poking her head up from the cubicle to see if she could spot Kyoshi. Still no sign of her, and Kyoshi was hard to miss.

“I just want to get this meeting over with and go home,” Aang stated, adjusting his tie around his neck. “And you and I both know that Kyoshi tends to go overboard with these meetings.”

“Ugh, I know,” Suki replied, rolling her eyes. “Kyoshi is awesome, but she loves to talk. But she sent the presentation early, so maybe she’ll just stick to it and we can all go home.”

“Speaking of home,” Aang stated, wiggling his eyebrows at Suki, “are you coming over tonight to see my super annoying roommate?”

Suki laughed. “Oh, you mean my extremely loving boyfriend? Then yes, yes I am.”

Aang pretended to gag, causing Suki to laugh harder. Just then, Aang’s cubicle neighbor stuck his head up, glaring down at Suki and Aang.

“Hey, can you guys quiet down a bit,” he snapped. “Some of us have work to do.”

“Sorry, Tadashi!” Aang replied, grinning apologetically up at Tadashi who was still fuming. “We’re just waiting for our meeting.”

“Yes, well, you can do it  _ quietly _ ,” Tadashi stated before disappearing once more.

Aang turned to Suki and rolled his eyes. He then rolled his chair closer to where Suki was standing, lowering his voice and saying, “I think he’s jealous he’s not getting Kyoshi’s attention like the rest of us.”

“He does know I run this wing of the nonprofit, right?” Suki whispered, shaking her head. “Ugh, men.”

“You’re telling me,” Aang agreed, shaking his own head. 

“Hmm,” Suki hummed, walking towards the entrance of Aang’s cubicle and poking her head out, looking towards Tadashi’s own cubicle.

“What?” Aang asked as Suki came back in, a finger on her lips. “What are you planning?”

Suki just motioned for Aang to wait, looking back out in the hallway. Aang just watched her, wondering what Suki could  _ possibly  _ be up to. 

“Aha!” she exclaimed after a minute, turning back to Aang with a mischievous grin on her face.

“What?” Aang asked, finally standing up and joining Suki at the entrance. Out in the hallway, Tadashi made his way towards the bathroom. 

“Come on,” Suki said, motioning for Aang to follow her, which he did. 

Together, they quietly made their way into Tadashi’s meticulously organized cubicle. Suki stood in the middle, hands on her hips, and looked around. 

“So, what are we doing here?” Aang asked her, staring at Suki who was deep in thought. “He’s going to be back any moment.”

“Nope, weirdly enough, I know he usually poops at this time,” Suki replied, still looking around. “So we have about five minutes.”

“Weird how you know that, but sure,” Aang stated, making a face. “So?”

“We need to do something so small that he just barely notices it,” Suki explained, already walking towards Tadashi’s desk. “But, it still pisses him off.”

“Like what?” Aang asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Suki reached out with her hand and moved Tadashi’s stapler slightly to the left. She looked up at Aang with a grin on her face.

“I don’t… get it,” Aang said, his eyebrows furrowed. 

Suki grabbed Tadashi’s frame of him and his cat and moved  _ that  _ to the left. Then his pencil sharpener. Then his pen holder. 

“Ah, I get it,” Aang said, realization finally dawning on him. “Okay, let me help.”

Aang then joined Suki in moving everything on Tadashi’s desk, including his computer, slightly to the left. At one point, Suki even moved his chair to the left.

When they were done, they made their way back to Aang’s cubicle, doubled over in laughter, waiting for Tadashi to make his way back.

“Think he’ll notice?” Aang asked, wiping a tear from his eye. 

“A guy as organized as that?” Suki asked, pointing her thumb towards Tadashi’s cubicle. “Oh yeah, definitely.”

They went quiet at the right time, as Tadashi’s footprints were now making their way back towards his desk. Both made their way back to the entrance of Aang’s cubicle, straining their ears so they could listen.

“What?” they heard Tadashi ask out loud. “Why is this… huh, okay?”

Suki and Aang started to giggle. Together, they listened as Tadashi’s groans of frustrations got louder.

“What on Earth?” he exclaimed, causing Suki and Aang to laugh harder. 

At the moment, Kyoshi made her way by, looking over at Aang and Suki who quickly gained their composure.

“You two ready?” she asked them.

“Yep, absolutely,” they said in unison.

“Okay, grab your notes and follow me,” Kyoshi stated.

Aang and Suki quickly grabbed their materials, but before they walked out, Aang turned to look at Suki, a smirk on his face.

“What?” Suki asked, her arms full with her laptop and notepad. 

“You know what this was?” Aang told her, causing Suki to shrug. “A classic Aang and Suki mess around!”

Suki started to laugh. “A classic Aang and Suki mess around? I like it. Now, let’s go before Kyoshi kicks both of our asses!”

So, they made their way past Tadashi’s desh (who was still trying to figure out what happened to his desk) and made their way to the conference room. 

Sure, Suki and Aang were an odd duo, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.


	9. Let's Go, G.N.O.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara invites Azula to a knitting session for some much needed girl time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I steal the title from a Miley Cyrus song? Yes. Yes I did.
> 
> This chapter takes place during Chapter 22 (Thrown Out of Whack) of the original work!

Mid November, Azula was still living in the loft, and while she and Katara had spent some time together, they rarely spent alone together without the boys being around. Though Katara knew that Azula liked Katara enough, she still wanted that validation.

“Katara, remember what we talked about a couple months ago?” Zuko asked her. They were laying together in Zuko’s bed, his arms wrapped around her and holding her close. “You don’t need everyone to like you.”

“Yes, but she’s your sister,” Katara replied, cuddling into Zuko more. “I want her to like me, especially after everything you guys have been through.”

“Isn’t hanging out at the bar together enough for you?” Zuko asked, chuckling softly. 

“Yes, but you’re usually there,” Katara said, smiling up at him. “Or Aang and Sokka. I don’t know, I just want to spend some more time with her. Get to know her, you know?”

“Katara, you have a big heart, and I love you for it,” Zuko stated, sighing deeply. “But Azula - she’s complicated. You think I’m bad with emotions, multiply that by ten and you have Azula.”

“What was she like as a kid?” Katara asked, settling back into him. 

“Cool and calculating,” Zuko answered. “A bit manipulative, especially since she had Ozai’s favor. She got whatever she wanted, so she thought she ruled the world by the age of seven.”

“She seems to have calmed down,” Katara noted, stroking Zuko’s chest with her hand. 

“Yes, she does,” Zuko agreed. “Ozai disowning her definitely cooled her off.”

“Do you like having her here?” Katara asked, glancing up at him. 

She watched as he took a deep breath in, and she could practically see the wheels turning in his head. He never stated outright that he  _ enjoyed  _ having Azula living in the loft, but Zuko also wasn’t actively against it. Everyone knew how much safer Azula felt with Zuko, and it did seem like the two siblings were spending a bit more time together.

“Yes, I like having her here,” Zuko finally answered. “Like we’re making up for lost time, if that makes sense.”

“Sure,” Katara replied.

“When I was younger, I used to hate her,” Zuko told her. Katara could see a look of shame flash in Zuko’s eyes. 

“Well, I’m glad you guys are making up for lost time then,” Katara said, hugging him tightly. 

“Thanks,” Zuko said softly, kissing the top of Katara’s head. “And, if you really want to spend time with Azula, ease into it, will you? Don’t throw her into anything.”

“Think she’d be into a knitting session?” Katara asked him. 

“Hmm, girl time might actually be good for her,” Zuko nodded. “Especially with Ty Lee there. I don’t know, she’s been really down on herself since she can’t find anywhere to hire her, so maybe it will be good for her.”

“Look at you, looking out for your sister,” Katara commented, poking his ribs. 

“Hey, look at that,” Zuko agreed, grinning. “But I’m not forcing her into anything she doesn’t want to do.”

“Fair enough,” Katara replied. 

Soon, the room was filled with Zuko’s deep, slow breathing, signaling to Katara that he had fallen asleep. Katara chuckled, adjusting herself so that she could look up at the man holding her. Strange to think that they had been together since April, especially since, in a way, it felt like longer. She appreciated how he always looked out for her, and now his sister. Not only that, but Katara was grateful that he was always willing to listen to her, even when her ideas were crazy. 

As gently as possible, she moved a piece of hair out from in front of Zuko’s eyes before settling back down into him and letting sleep take over her.

* * *

The next morning before she left for work, Katara knocked on her bedroom door, tapping her foot as she listened to Azula shuffle around on the other side. She decided she would ask Azula now if she would join her, Suki, and Ty Lee’s knitting session on Saturday, rather than just spring it on her. If Azula said no, then Katara won’t push it.

Azula opened the door, her hair in a messy bun, her robe wrapped tightly around her. She eyed Katara warily, before sighing deeply and moving aside. 

“Is that you inviting me in?” Katara asked, pointing inside the room. 

“Well, this is technically your room isn’t it?” Azula pointed out, raising a thin eyebrow at her. 

“Right,” Katara replied, stepping inside the room and looking around.

It  _ was  _ still Katara’s room, with her comforter and sheets on the bed, and most of Katara knick knacks still on the dresser. There were hints of Azula slowly making their way around the room: more makeup on the bureau, clothes strewn on the floor that definitely did not belong to Katara, a laptop on the bed. 

“Well, what do you want?” Azula asked, staring at Katara and crossing her arms. 

“Oh, uh,” Katara started, but Azula grimaced slightly, causing Katara to stop.

“Sorry, the way I asked sounded rude,” Azula said, rubbing her cheek. 

“No, no it’s okay,” Katara assured her, giving Azula what she hoped was a kind smile. “I’m not worried, really.” 

Azula sighed and motioned for Katara to continue.

“Anyways, every month Suki, Ty Lee, and I usually have a knitting session, and our next one is this Saturday and, well, I was wondering if you would maybe want to join?” Katara asked, basically rushing through her little speech.

The corner of Azula’s mouth quirked upwards as she stared at Katara in amusement.

“Only if you want to,” Katara finished, feeling herself flush slightly in embarrassment as Azula continued staring at her. “No… pressure.”

“Do you, like, talk about feelings and shit?” Azula asked, considering Katara.

“Uh, occasionally,” Katara replied, shrugging. “Sometimes Ty Lee and I just make fun of Suki’s horrible knitting because she always ends up yelling at her yarn.”

“Hmm,” Azula hummed, tapping her chin. “Why are you inviting me exactly?”

“Well, I know we sometimes hang out at the bar with the guys and stuff,” Katara explained, “but we never had girl time, you know.”

“I spend plenty of time with Ty Lee,” Azula noted, arching her eyebrows. “And we had that wonderful heart to heart at the bar that one time.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Katara agreed, starting to turn around. “Never mind, it’s okay!”

“Wait,” Azula stated, reaching out and grabbing Katara’s arm.

Katara paused and looked down at Azula’s hand gripping her arm. Realizing what she did, Azula quickly let go and took a step back, shuffling her feet slightly.

“I - well - um, I’d love to join you,” Azula told her, looking down at the ground. “If you need me to bring anything, I will.”

“Just yourself,” Katara assured her. “But, great! I’d say see you then, but we live together!”

“Ah, that’s a joke,” Azula said, nodding at Katara. “And, um, thank you.”

“Yeah, of course,” Katara replied, smiling at Azula. “Anything to help you out.”

“With everything that’s been happening these past few months, it will be nice to have some girl time,” Azula stated, scratching the top of her head. “Anyways, I was about to go shower so… see you later.”

“Yes, yes, see you later!” Katara exclaimed, and she made her way out of the room.

Feeling confident, she made her way towards the kitchen where Zuko was already making coffee and Sokka was sitting at the island reading emails on his phone. 

“Morning!” Katara greeted cheerily, making her way towards Zuko and hugging him from behind. 

“Ugh, leave that in the bedroom,” Sokka said, shaking his head towards the other two.

“It’s a hug, Sokka,” Katara replied, but she let go of Zuko anyways. 

“Let me guess, Azula will be joining you guys on Saturday?” Zuko asked, grinning at Katara. 

The coffee maker beeped and he poured three mugs, one for Katara, one for Sokka, and one for himself. Sokka grunted in thanks.

“Yes, Azula will be joining us,” Katara answered, taking her mug from Zuko. 

“Azula knitting a scarf?” Sokka asked, looking up from his phone. “Now that I need to see.”

“No way, Sokka, knitting session is sacred!” Katara stated, wagging her finger at her brother. “So you boys need to either be out of the loft or in your rooms.”

“I’m working Saturday night anyways,” Zuko stated, leaning up against the counter and drinking his coffee. 

“Then Aang and I will be there to bother you,” Sokka commented, raising his mug towards Zuko who raised his in return. 

Katara glanced at the time on the microwave. “Oh, shoot, time to go. See you boys later.” 

She placed her mug in the sink, kissed Zuko on the cheek, punched her brother’s shoulder, grabbed her bag next to the door, and made her way out the loft.

“Do you think leaving your sister with my sister is a good idea?” Sokka asked Zuko, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“I’ve done it before,” Zuko shrugged. “Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Someone gets stabbed with a knitting needle?” Sokka suggested, grimacing. 

“Sokka, no one is going to stab anyone with a knitting needle,” Zuko told him, shaking his head. 

“Not that you know of,” Sokka stated, getting off of his stool and placing his mug in the sink. “Anyways, gotta head out. See you soon.”

So, Zuko was left alone in the kitchen. He finished his coffee, placing his mug in the sink to join the other two and the plates from the night before. Sighing, he turned on the faucet and began washing the dishes, placing them in the dishwasher. Since he wasn’t paying attention, he didn’t hear Azula walk into the room, placing her hands on her hips as she watched him.

“You do chores?” she smirked, causing Zuko to finally turn around and face her.

“Chores really aren’t that bad,” he replied, picking up the dish towel and throwing it at his sister who just ducked out of the way. 

“Hm, I’ll take your word for it,” Azula stated, picking up the towel and throwing it back at Zuko who successfully caught it. 

“So, you ready for your girls’ night on Saturday?” Zuko asked, leaning on the island. 

Azula shrugged. “I guess so. Obviously, I know Ty Lee so I’m not worried there. I barely know Suki, so I guess getting to know her will be nice. As for your girlfriend…”

“She has this thing where she wants everyone to like her,” Zuko sighed. “We’re working on it.”

“It’s kind of sweet,” Azula told him, taking a seat at the island. “But, I do like her. Especially after what she’s done for me. Plus, she’s good for you. I’ve never seen you so happy.”

“Yeah, well,” Zuko said, rubbing the back of his neck. “She is pretty great, isn’t she?”

“How’s the room sharing going?” 

“It’s fine, I guess,” Zuko replied. “I mean, we’re adjusting the best we can at least.”

“Good,” Azula stated, nodding. “Hopefully I get out of here soon so you can have your room back.”

“Azula, please don’t worry about that, really,” Zuko exclaimed. “Seriously, it’s fine.”

“I’ve been turned down by so many jobs, Zuko,” Azula told him, leaning on her hand. “And, if I’m being completely honest, I feel like complete shit.” 

“Listen, I know you said no before, but if you want to make some extra cash, you can work for me at the bar,” Zuko told her. “Just think about it.”

Azula sighed. “I’ll do it.”

“Really?”

“It’s better than doing nothing all day,” Azula stated, shrugging. “So, sure, if you want.”

“Come in with me today then,” Zuko told her. “You start tonight.”

“Great,” Azula replied, sliding out of her seat. “See you later, then.”

With that, Azula made her way back to Katara’s room as Zuko watched her leave. 

Azula was turning her life around, and Zuko was happy to be part of it. 

* * *

Saturday night came quickly and Katara made sure to gather everything she needed to make tonight’s knitting session perfect. Wine, crappy romantic comedies, and an abundance of yarn just in case. 

“So, she’s going to be cool with this?” Suki asked Katara, lowering her voice so Ty Lee and Azula couldn’t hear them.

They were in Katara’s room grabbing some extra blankets that were in Katara’s closet. Katara handed Suki a blanket before ducking back into the closet and grabbing another one. She turned to face Suki, frowning at her best friend.

“Suki, I know we had a bad first impression, but she’s fine,” Katara told her. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Suki replied, following Katara out of the room.

Already, Ty Lee and Azula were hard at work on their respective scarves, though Azula was definitely having more trouble. Ty Lee giggled, but put her own needles down, placing her hands on Azula’s.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Ty Lee told her, helping her untangle the yarn. 

Suki threw her blanket at Ty Lee, hitting her on the face. 

“Hey!” Azula exclaimed, looking up at Suki who quickly put her hands up in self defense. 

“Azula, it’s  _ fine, _ ” Ty Lee assured her, moving the blanket aside. “We do this all time.”

Azula nodded then focused back on her scarf, eyes narrow with concentration. Suki exchanged a look with Katara, who just shrugged. 

Katara placed her blanket on the couch before taking her seat on Azula’s other side, while Suki sat next to Ty Lee, lying back on the couch as she began her hat. 

They sat quietly as they knit, Katara glancing up at Azula every once in a while, though Azula doesn’t notice her. Instead, her brows are furrowed in concentration as she wrapped the yarn around her needle. 

“So, Azula,” Katara said finally, causing Azula to look up at her. “How was your first day with Zuko?”

Azula lowered her needles and shrugged. “It was fine, I guess. Extra cash, you know?”

“Sure, of course,” Katara replied, nodding, focusing back on her needles. 

“Azula, you’ll find something don’t worry,” Ty Lee assured her, placing a hand on Azula’s shoulder. 

“Right, right,” Azula said, biting her cheek. “Something better, I’m sure.”

“All right, we need the wine,” Suki stated, throwing her needles aside and getting up, heading towards the counter where the wine sat. “Katara, help me out.”

Katara nodded, placed her own needles down, and made her way towards Suki, who was already pouring the wine into glasses. Together, they brought them over and handed one to Ty Lee and the other to Azula who took hers gratefully.

“Oh, your brother told me not to let you go overboard,” Katara teased as she sat back down next to Azula. 

Azula took a sip of wine as she rolled her eyes. “Ugh, Zuzu ruins all of my fun.”

Suki almost spit out her wine as she looked at Azula, a look of glee on her face. “I’m sorry…  _ Zuzu _ ?”

Azula just grinned. “Yes, I used to call him that growing up. Remember, Ty Lee?”

“I remember him absolutely hating it too,” Ty Lee added, laughing with Azula. 

“Mostly, I just call him that to annoy him,” Azula shrugged, taking another sip of wine. 

“Oh, he is  _ not  _ living this down,” Suki snickered. “Any other embarrassing things you can tell us about your brother?”

“Ah, not really,” Azula replied, turning a bit red. 

Suki looked at Katara who just shook her head once. Only three people knew what happened in Zuko and Azula’s childhood, and Suki was not one of them. 

“So, do you like living with your brother?” Suki asked instead, leaning up against the back of the couch and crossing one leg over the other in a manner of fake sophistication. 

“It’s not the worst thing in the world,” Azula answered with a small shrug. “I haven’t lived with him since I was twelve and he was thirteen, so I missed his awkward teen years and his twenties, so now I get to experience his early thirties.”

Again, Suki shot Katara another look, but didn’t say anything. 

Azula looked at Katara. “Do  _ you  _ like living with your older brother?”

“It’s not as bad as I imagined it to be, if I’m being honest,” Katara told her, giving her a warm smile. 

“No, I suppose you’re right,” Azula agreed. She took another sip of her wine, clearly deep in thought. 

“Though I was not expecting to see my best friend sneaking out of his bedroom every morning,” Katara added, sticking her tongue out at Suki who shot her the middle finger. 

“Well, I wasn’t expecting to hear my brother having sex either, so that makes two of us,” Azula said, giving Katara a small grin. 

Ty Lee gasped, but Katara just burst out laughing, and once she started, she couldn’t stop. Azula bit her lip, clearly unsure of whether or not that joke would actually land but extremely surprised when it did. Soon, she started laughing alongside Katara, her face turning a light shade of pink as Katara grabbed Azula’s hand, squeezing it tightly. Suki and Ty Lee both looked at each other, shrugging as Katara and Azula kept laughing about their older brothers.

“I'm an only child, I have no idea what any of this means,” Suki stated, finishing her wine. 

“I have sisters,” Ty Lee told her, “so I get it, but I also don’t.”

“My brother was  _ so  _ awkward as a kid,” Azula said finally, placing her wine glass down on the coffee table and wiping a tear from her eye. “Seriously, he did not know how to talk to girls.”

“Azula, he’s  _ dating  _ me and he still doesn’t know how to talk to me,” Katara said, finally calming down. “He once high fived me after sex. It was weird.”

“Ah, Sokka has high fived me so many times,” Suki mused, getting up off the couch and grabbing more wine. 

“What is with boys and high fiving after they climax?” Ty Lee asked, shaking her head. “Why is that a thing?”

“Men are so weird,” Azula claimed, shaking her head. “Oh, does Zuko still do that thing when you walk by him in a close space and he, like, curls into himself?”

“I remember that!” Ty Lee replied, starting to laugh. “I remember passing him in the hallway of your house when I was over forever ago and he pushed himself against the wall to let me through.”

“He legit did that to me the other day,” Suki added, sitting back down. She seemed to have forgoed the wine glass as she now had the whole bottle in her hand. 

“Oh, Spirits, he does,” Katara said, hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment. “He’s so awkward.”

Thus, the girls continued sharing awkward stories of Zuko and Sokka, and later adding Aang into the mix. Soon, they were all clutching their stomachs laughing so hard that they couldn’t breathe. 

Azula, who had been on edge ever since she moved into the loft, seemed to have finally relaxed a little, settling easily with the three girls. Her laugh was high pitched and sharp, but clearly joy was the cause of her laughter. 

“I really like being here,” she said finally, looking around at Katara, Ty Lee, and Suki. “I thought I was going to be absolutely miserable, but I’m not. And it’s nice to have more friends.”

“Azula, I’ve been your friend for years,” Ty Lee reminded her, hitting Azula on the shoulder. Azula just bumped her back.

“Yes, yes, I know that,” Azula stated, “but I mean Katara and Suki. You guys are… fun.”

“Love the hesitation before fun, but I’ll take it,” Suki grinned, raising the bottle of wine in the air. 

“To new friends then,” Katara said, raising her own glass of wine in the air.

“Hear, hear!” Ty Lee cheered, with her own glass high above her. 

Azula raised hers ever so slightly, before bringing it to her lips. 

Girls’ night was always going to be a hit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for a nice Taang chapter after this? I know I am!
> 
> I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years! ❤️


	10. Very First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang goes on his first official date with Toph, but he's nervous about how that will change their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I so love Taang. 
> 
> This chapter takes place in between Chapter 24 (Famous Last Words) and Chapter 25 (Wedding Season) of the original work!

Aang was nervous. 

No, not just nervous. Completely and utterly paranoid, high strung, edgy, tense, timid and whatever other synonym there was for being nervous out there in the thesaurus. 

He stood in front of his mirror, trying on different shirts for his date with Toph, though each time he tried on a new one, he just scoffed because Toph can’t even  _ see  _ what he’s wearing. That was a tad reassuring, if he was being honest, but  _ still  _ it’s the thought that counts wasn’t it? That’s what he’s been told at least.

Finally, he settled on a nice orange button up, not even caring anymore because, as he had to keep reminding himself, Toph won’t even see it. Carefully, he smoothed out the wrinkles of his shirt, staring at himself in the mirror. He really wasn’t sure why he was so nervous about his date with Toph, they had been friends for years. At this point, he felt as though they were on the same wavelength, having conversations no one else could keep up with or watching movies together as Aang narrated every little action for Toph. He’s not exactly sure when his feelings for Toph changed, but he did know that he still wanted to impress her.

As he continued staring at himself in the mirror, trying to figure out exactly what Toph liked in him, a faint scratching came from his door. Turning away from his mirror, he went to the door, opening it to find Appa sitting there, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he looked up at Aang happily.

“Yeah, come on in, buddy,” Aang told Appa, opening the door wider for the happy dog to bound in. 

Before he could close the door, Katara walked by on her way back from the bathroom pausing at Aang’s door when she spotted him. 

“Look at you!” she exclaimed, beaming up at Aang. “You look so spiffy!”

“Yeah?” Aang asked, rubbing his forehead as he turned to consider himself in the mirror once more. “You think I look good?”

Katara nodded. “Yeah, of course! You nervous?”

Aang turned to look at Katara again, trying his best to give her a confident smile, but failing spectacularly. 

“First date nerves are always normal,” Katara assured him, walking into the room. She placed her hands on his shoulders, gripping them tightly as though telling him she won’t let him fall. “Trust me, you will be fine!”

“You think so?” Aang asked, biting his lip. 

“Yes, of -” But whatever Katara was about to say was drowned out by Sokka yelling in the living room.

“Dammit!” he yelled, the sound of something being thrown reverberating through the loft. “I can’t find my driving moccasins  _ anywhere! _ ”

Katara smirked, shaking her head as she let her hands drop from Aang’s shoulders. “Driving moccasins?”

“You’ve been his sister forever, and you’re  _ just  _ finding out about his driving moccasins?” Aang teased, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, he wears them whenever he’s making a quick drive. Don’t ask me why.”

“Huh,” Katara replied, just as Sokka appeared at the door, placing both hands on either side of the doorframe, staring in at Katara and Aang.

“Okay, driving moccasins are somewhere, but have you guys seen my good peacoat?” he asked them urgently, his eyes wide. 

Aang and Katara looked at each other, the latter biting her lip to keep herself from laughing at her brother’s plight. Together, they shook their heads, causing Sokka to groan before walking away back towards his room. 

“MAKE SURE YOU PUT FIVE DOLLARS IN THE JAR!” Katara yelled after him. 

“UGH, FINE!” Sokka yelled back, finally causing Katara to lose it. 

“Have I ever told you that this used to be Sokka’s room?” Aang asked her, as Katara was bent over in laughter. 

“No?” Katara said through a shuddering breath, trying to regain her composure. 

“Yeah, but we switched because he lost a bet with me. But, he had this weird painting in his closet, though he swears it wasn’t him who made it.” Aang shrugged when Katara raised her eyebrows in amusement. “I painted over half of it, but to be honest, I got bored painting over his interplanetary ass dojo, so it’s still there.”

“What! No way!” Katara exclaimed, rushing past Aang towards his closet and throwing open the sliding doors. She stuck her head inside between rows of Aang’s shirts.

“Left,” Aang instructed her, walking over and standing beside her. 

“Spirits, that for sure is an interplanetary ass dojo,” Katara stated, though her voice was muffled by the clothes. She popped up from his clothes, standing up and looking at Aang, tears forming in her eyes from laughter. 

“You’re so lucky your brother calmed down before you moved in,” Aang joked. 

“I guess so,” Katara agreed, playing with the end of her braid. She smiled up at Aang once more. “Now, we had our fun, but I think it’s time you head out, right?”

Aang nodded, rubbing the back of his head. “I did tell Toph I would pick her up at her apartment soon.” 

“Get going!” Katara told him, walking around him so his back was to her. 

She then pushed Aang from behind, guiding him towards his door. Appa, who was now laying on Aang’s bed, barked as if telling Aang that he agreed with what Katara was doing. Once in the hallway, Katara proceeded to continue pushing Aang towards the front door, but Aang put his arms out to grab the walls, trying to slow Katara down.

“Don’t freak out!” she exclaimed, pushing hard at him as he began to dig his heels into the floor. 

Zuko opened his bedroom door once they approached, and he leaned up against the doorframe, arms crossed as he watched the scene in front of him unfold. 

“Zuko, help!” Aang begged. He had to remove his hands from the wall to avoid Zuko’s and Katara’s bedroom doors, so he now had no way of self defense. 

“Hate to say it,” Zuko stated, grinning at Aang, “but I agree with Katara. You and Toph are going to have a great time, just like you always do.”

“But it’s  _ different  _ this time!” Aang exclaimed, causing Katara to let go of him. Slowly, she walked back around him so that she was facing him, her head tilted to the side as she considered Aang. 

“Why is it different?” Zuko asked, still leaning against the doorframe, considering Aang just like Katara was. 

_ These two asses really broke up? _ Aang thought to himself as he looked back and forth between Zuko and Katara who were both wearing similar expressions on their faces as they waited for Aang to reply. 

“Are you going to answer Zuko?” Katara asked, poking Aang in the ribs. 

“I don’t know - it just is,” Aang explained, sighing deeply. 

Zuko and Katara exchanged a look.

“I don’t think you two are in any position to judge me,” Aang told them, shaking his head. 

“We’re not judging you, Aang,” Katara assured him. “You’re right, because Zuko and I are certainly not in the position to do so.” 

“We’re just trying to help, that’s all,” Zuko added, finally reaching over giving Aang a small shove on the shoulder. 

“Toph already likes hanging out with you as a friend,” Katara continued, “you two have always gotten along, but I guess I see how you might find this date as being… different.”

“You do?” Aang asked, feeling his eyes widen. 

Again, Katara and Zuko exchange a look; though they aren’t saying anything, Aang can tell they’re having a whole conversation through eye contact alone. After a moment, they looked away from each and each focused on Aang. 

“There are new feelings you have to sift through,” Katara stated, fiddling with the end of her braid. “Sure, you have so much in common already, but when you add in a romantic side…”

“It gets a bit more complicated,” Zuko finished for her, rubbing his scar. “And you can’t always rely on friendship alone to keep a relationship going.”

Aang looked back and forth between Zuko and Katara who were both now making a point of not looking at each other. He felt kind of bad, making them talk about their past relationship in order to make him feel better. Then again, Zuko and Katara actually had a pretty solid relationship, one that he was somewhat envious of for a bit; however, towards the end, they did hit a rough patch that neither clearly got over. 

“I guess I’m just scared if something goes wrong, I’ll lose her as a friend,” Aang admitted. “But - I mean - look at you guys! You two dated then broke up, and you’re still friends!”

“Yeah, well, we both agreed we would be better off as friends,” Katara stated, Zuko nodding in agreement. 

Aang could tell both had something more to say, but didn’t push it. 

“Go,” Katara told him, reaching over and grabbing Aang’s hand, giving it a squeeze of reassurance. “Go have fun with Toph. Try not to overthink it, because obviously she likes you too if she said yes, right?”

Aang nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“I can tell you for a fact that she’s excited,” Zuko grinned. 

“Yeah?” Aang asked. 

“Yes,” Zuko replied. “She texted me saying so.”

“She did?” Aang exclaimed, glancing at Katara who just shrugged.

“Well, not in so many words,” Zuko replied, shrugging. “But she did in her own Toph way. So, listen to Katara, and get out of here.”

Aang laughed, pulling his hand away from Katara. “Okay, okay, I’m going!”

“And have fun!” Katara told him, giving him a hug. “You’ll be fine!”

“Thanks guys,” Aang told them. “I really appreciate it.”

“Go, you’re going to be late!” Zuko told him, waving with his hand for Aang to leave. 

“Right, right!” Aang replied, running over to the front door and pulling on his shoes. He grabbed his keys and his wallet from the side table, and gave Zuko and Katara one last look.

“Go!” they yelled in unison. 

Aang took a deep breath and opened the door. Time for his very first date with Toph. 

* * *

“You need to relax, Twinkle Toes,” Toph stated as they sat down at their table. 

They were at a more relaxed restaurant; actually, they were at the same one that Katara and Zuko went to on their very first date. Zuko had recommended it to Aang in passing, and he thought why not? Toph didn’t want fancy, and there was a vegetarian option, so Aang decided it might be a perfect spot.

“I am completely calm, Toph,” Aang lied, feeling himself go bright red. In a weird way, he immediately thought that his red face clashed with his orange shirt, and he wished he didn’t go with orange.

Toph, in true Toph fashion, kicked Aang under the table. 

“Okay, okay, I’m extremely nervous,” Aang admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He’s been spending too much time with Zuko and Sokka to have picked up that habit. 

“Why are you nervous?” Toph asked, cocking her head to the side. 

“I just don’t want things to change between us, that’s all,” Aang said honestly, watching as Toph took a deep breath in. 

“Aang, whether you like it or not, things are going to change between us,” she told him, giving him a soft smile that was so unlike Toph that Aang was pretty sure he was going to melt right then and there. “At least, I hope they do.”

“You do?” Aang asked.

“Sure.” Toph nodded, but Aang could see the mischief written on her face. “I mean, why else do you think I had to wrestle out how you felt about me the other day?” 

Aang broke out into a grin. “You could have admitted it to me first, you know?”

Toph smirked. “Maybe. But I like to push your buttons, Twinkle Toes.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Aang stated, feeling himself finally relax. 

He went to pick up his menu, but before he did, he looked over at Toph whose finger was now tracing her own menu, a frown on her face. 

“Ah, I don’t think they have menus in Braille,” Aang said, shaking his head but looking for a waiter to ask anyways. 

“Wait, Twinkle Toes,” Toph stated, reaching over and placing a hand on Aang’s causing him to look down at their hands, his eyes wide. “Do you mind just… reading it to me?”

Aang swallowed. “Sure, okay. Tell me what you’re thinking, and I can go to that section.”

“I’m thinking a burger,” Toph said, grinning at Aang and pulling her hand away from his. 

“You got it,” Aang told her, returning her grin despite the fact that she couldn’t see it and opening to that section of the menu.

Slowly, he read each selection to her, including all of the descriptions. If there was a picture, Aang even tried to describe how the food looked, causing Toph to start laughing at his descriptions. Soon he started laughing too, this time trying to come up with more and more ridiculous descriptions, just so he could see Toph’s bright smile. 

Once Toph had her food picked, Aang went over each item under the vegetarian options, still describing each one to Toph. She leaned her elbows on the table, placing her chin in her hands as she listened to Aang talk. 

“Oh, that goat cheese salad actually sounds pretty delicious,” Toph said, once Aang took a brief pause to catch his breath.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Aang replied, looking over the words on the menu once more.

A waitress walked over, noticing only Aang holding the menu. She looked down at Toph, finally taking note of Toph’s milky eyes, a deep flush creeping up her neck. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t know -” the waitress began, but Toph waved at her to stop.

“No worries at all,” Toph assured her, “my date here is reading the menu to me.” 

“Oh, well, okay,” the waitress stated, her blush still prominent, but her shoulders starting to relax. “You’re lucky you have such a great date, then.” 

Toph flashed Aang a smile. “I am, aren’t I?”

Aang flushed again, using his menu as a way to hide it, when the waitress gave him a small smile. 

“Anyways, I think we might be ready to order,” Toph told the waitress.

They gave their order, handing their menus back to the waitress before they turned back to each other, Aang’s face still red, but Toph’s smile still wide.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Toph said, leaning over the table a bit.

Aang leaned in too. “About what?”

“If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?” she asked, raising her eyebrow and tilting her head to the side.

Aang couldn’t help it: he started laughing. 

“What?” Toph asked, her lips quirking upwards as she considered Aang.

“Just  _ you _ ,” Aang told her, still laughing. “I don’t know why I was so nervous, because this is the same shit we always get into, isn’t it?”

Toph grinned. “Of course it is. What, you think once we start dating we’re never going to have goofy conversations again? No way, I’m not letting us become stuffy and serious.”

“I don’t really know what I was thinking honestly,” Aang told her, leaning on his hand and staring at Toph. “I like what we have now, but I think I like where we’re going to end up.”

“And where are we going to end up, Twinkle Toes?” Toph asked. 

“Not sure, exactly, but I think it’s somewhere good,” Aang replied.

“Good,” Toph stated, nodding. “But you didn’t answer my question: which superpower?”

“Easy, flying,” Aang replied instantly, perking up now that the conversation shifted. 

And, really, they were always going to be Aang and Toph. Sure, Aang was nervous about losing Toph as a friend, but she made a really good point: things are going to change between them now, whether Aang wanted them to or not. Though he was afraid of that change before, just being with Toph proved to him that maybe the change coming their way was a good thing. 

* * *

Aang and Toph ended up spending three hours together at the restaurant, doing what they always did: being themselves. 

When they decided it was time to go, Aang drove Toph back to her place, continuing their animated conversation. The drive went quick though, because suddenly Aang was parked in front of Toph’s apartment building, his hands gripping the steering wheel as Toph just sat in the passenger seat, a small smirk on her face.

“So, that was fun,” Aang said awkwardly, looking over a Toph.

“Sure, we always have fun don’t we?” Toph replied, still smirking somewhat, but turning her head so that she was facing Aang.

“Yep,” Aang stated awkwardly, tapping his thumb against the steering wheel.

“Spirits, Twinkle Toes, just kiss me will you?” Toph stated, raising her eyebrow at Aang and leaning closer to him. 

“You really like bossing me around, don’t you?” Aang stated, letting go of the steering wheel and leaning over himself. 

“Well, duh,” Toph replied. 

Slowly, Aang raised a hand to Toph’s face, placing it on her cheek. Toph placed her hand on his, leaning into it, grinning. 

“So, you going to kiss me, Twinkle Toes?” she asked softly. 

Aang chuckled softly before bringing Toph closer to him, placing his lips on hers.

* * *

Zuko and Katara were sitting together in the living room, beer in Zuko’s hand and a wine in Katara’s as they watched whatever episode of  _ Criminal Minds  _ was on TV. Sokka was over at Suki’s, so it was just the two of them until Aang got home. 

This wasn’t the first time they’ve been alone since they’ve broken up, and there really was not any awkward feelings between them, 

“Hey, did you mean what you told Aang?” Katara asked suddenly, causing Zuko to turn to face her, his brow furrowed. 

“That Toph was excited about their date?” Zuko asked, taking a drink of his beer. “Yeah.”

“No, I mean, like, that you can’t rely on just friendship to make a relationship?” Katara stated, shifting so she was sitting cross legged on the couch. 

Zuko sighed. “I mean, we both figured that out, didn’t we? We were both so focused on trying to be the perfect couple that we…”

“Got scared,” Katara finished, sighing along with Zuko. 

“Yeah, that,” Zuko chuckled. 

Katara was about to open her mouth, ask if maybe they could have salvaged something from their relationship, but just then Aang walked in. 

“Hey, there he is!” Zuko exclaimed, looking over at Aang. “How was it?”

Aang threw his keys on the side table with a shrug, waving his hand to avoid looking at Zuko. “Good, yeah, it was nice.”

Katara tapped Zuko on the shoulder as if to tell him to pry more. 

“What did you guys do?” Zuko asked. 

“Dinner,” Aang replied. 

“Did you kiss her?” Zuko asked, causing Katara to stifle a laugh as Aang just sputtered.

“Why would you - why did you - excuse me - what?” Aang stuttered, causing Zuko to snicker. 

“He did! He kissed her!” Katara exclaimed, pointing at Aang.

“I do not kiss and tell,” Aang said finally, walking away from Zuko and Katara. “So, yeah! Bye!”

Once he was gone, Zuko turned around to face Katara, a wide grin on his face. 

“I cannot believe you asked him that,” Katara stated. 

Zuko raised his beer towards Katara. “Hey, at least Aang is having more luck than us, huh? Cheers to him?”

Katara tapped her wine glass to Zuko’s beer. “Cheers to Aang.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "DAMMIT, I CAN'T FIND MY DRIVING MOCCASINS ANYWHERE!!" is such an iconic line that I had to include It just had to be!


	11. Running Bottoms and Sad Hoodies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko only goes running if he's upset, and he's wearing his sad hoodie. And by the looks of it, it's been washed, which is bone chilling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'm not going to make these chapters super long since this is really only a continuation and not the main story.  
> Also me: *writes a 5k word chapter because this scene is iconic and I like putting my own twists on things*
> 
> This chapter takes place during the first section of Chapter 30 (Summer Days) of the original work.

It was a Saturday afternoon in June, and it was quite a special one.

While Zuko had been hesitant to bring Mai around the loft, he decided to bring her over after spending a night at her place. They were planning on getting dinner together, but Zuko needed to change into something a bit nicer than what he had slept in. So, he was able to convince Mai to hang out at the loft as he got ready.

While Zuko was in his room, taking a bit longer than Mai would have liked, she sat at the table with Sokka and Suki who were going over plans for their wedding. Though they had tried to talk to Mai, she insisted she had some emails she had to read on her phone. Sokka and Suki both just shrugged and got back to their planning, not paying any more attention to Mai. 

As Sokka and Suki focused on planning and Mai stared at her phone, Katara walked into the kitchen with a large box in her hands that she then placed on the kitchen table with a definitive  _ thump _ . Sokka and Suki both jumped, but Mai continued staring at her phone. 

“What’s all that, Kat?” Sokka asked, staring at the box.

“Just a bunch of old clothes and stuff,” Katara replied, looking through the box. “And hats, and purses, and scarves… I have a lot of stuff.”

“Clearly,” Suki stated, shaking her head. “Why do you have all this?”

“Well, I don’t wear it anymore,” Katara explained, “so I’m going to donate this.”

“Seems like a good idea,” Sokka agreed. “You heading out now?”

“Yep!” Katara stated, lifting the box again. 

As she turned around, Zuko’s bedroom door slammed open and he walked out into the hallway. When Katara saw him, she stopped and gasped, causing Zuko to stop by the front door. 

“Hey, Zuko,” Katara said, her voice going high. “Are you wearing your running bottoms… and your hoodie?”

Sokka’s head snapped up as he focused on Zuko. “Zuko, are you going running?”

Zuko, who was in fact wearing a pair of running shorts and an old hoodie, just nodded before opening the door.

“Have fun,” Mai stated, not even looking up from her phone, but waving her hand at Zuko nonetheless.

Zuko nodded again before heading out into the hallway and closing the door loudly behind him.

Sokka, Suki, and Katara all looked at Mai.

“Oh Spirits, what is wrong with Zuko right now?” Sokka asked Mai, leaning forward towards her.

“Yeah, what happened? Are you guys okay?” Suki added, also leaning forward. 

Mai finally looked up, raising an eyebrow at Sokka and Suki who both wore looks of concern on their faces. “Zuko is going for a run. If anything we should be asking what is  _ right  _ with Zuko.”

“Zuko only goes running if he’s upset, and he’s wearing his sad hoodie,” Katara explained, her eyes wide. “And by the looks of it, it’s been washed which is  _ bone chilling _ .” 

“We’re fine,” Mai assured them, shaking her head. “Everything is okay.”

As Sokka, Suki, and Katara continued to stare at Mai, Aang burst through the front door with Appa on his leash.

“I just passed  _ Zuko  _ on the street  _ running  _ on  _ purpose _ !” Aang exclaimed, dropping Appa’s leash. “Oh my Spirits!”

“Maybe I was wrong,” Mai deadpanned, watching as Aang ran towards the window.

“Zuko! Are you okay!?” he called through the open window, scanning the streets for Zuko. “I see you! And I love you!”

“In my defense,” Mai stated, pointing at the four peple surrounding her, “no one here emotes in a normal way.”

“That’s fair,” Sokka conceded. 

Appa began barking, causing Aang to walk away from the window and go to him. Sokka and Suki took one more look at Mai before turning back to their wedding planning. Mai, who assumed everyone was done asking about her relationship, went back to her phone. 

But Katara, still standing in the middle of the room, continued staring at Mai, her mouth open as she tried to figure out what exactly she wanted to say. Was Mai not worried  _ at all  _ that Zuko was clearly in distress? Was she not going to even  _ do  _ anything?

“Katara, I can feel your eyes boring into me,” Mai stated, looking up from her phone once more at Katara. She didn’t sound cold, but instead passive, uncaring. 

“I just - aren’t you going to ask him what’s wrong?” Katara asked, feeling herself flush slightly. “We all just told you he only runs when he’s upset and you don’t look the least bit worried.”

Mai shrugged. “Why should I be?”

“Because he’s your boyfriend and he’s upset?” Katara exclaimed, feeling herself become annoyed, but she was surprised by how she was able to keep her voice steady. 

“Zuko and I don’t exactly  _ talk  _ about our feelings,” Mai told her, standing up from her seat and slipping her phone into her jeans pocket. Katara swallowed as Mai made her way towards her. “Mind if I use your bathroom?”

Katara blinked, but nodded. 

“Thanks,” Mai replied, walking by Katara and towards the hallway. 

Katara relaxed her shoulders, noticing that Sokka, Suki, and Aang were all looking at her. 

“Katara, you cannot insert yourself into Zuko and Mai’s relationship,” Suki advised her, shaking her head. 

“Yeah, Kat, you and Zuko are done,” Sokka added. “I know you care about him, but don’t tell Mai what to do.”

“Are you guys serious?” Katara asked indignantly. “She doesn’t even care!”

“Maybe she does and she’s going to ask him about it later,” Aang suggested, kneeling on the floor and petting Appa. “You don’t know what she’s going to do.”

“But - but, she just dismissed me,” Katara exclaimed. “She just said she and Zuko don’t talk!”

“Then that’s their problem,” Suki stated. 

“Are you guys not worried about Zuko?” Katara asked, looking from Sokka to Suki to Aang. 

“Sure we are,” Aang answered, finally standing up and making his way towards Katara to place a hand on her shoulder. “He’ll tell us what’s going on, or he won’t. But you know Zuko, he probably won’t tell us.”

Katara made a noise of disappointment, causing Aang to drop his hand. 

“Go donate your box of goods,” Sokka told her. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Katara sighed, but her arms were starting to hurt from the weight of the box. 

“I’ll be back,” she declared.

Aang opened the door for her and Katara made her way into the hallway.

She  _ knew  _ that she and Zuko were done, and that Zuko was dating Mai now and that she was sort of kind of hooking up with Jet again, but she can still care about Zuko, right? Especially when his girlfriend is being extremely emotionally distant with him? Katara could do that right? 

Still, she used her elbow to hit the elevator button down, shaking her head at what just happened. The others were right: Katara couldn’t insert herself into Zuko and Mai’s relationship. It wasn’t fair. 

Whether it wasn’t fair to Zuko and Mai, or to Katara herself, Katara wasn’t sure.

* * *

The donation center wasn’t too far from the loft, but due to the line of people also donating, it took Katara almost twenty minutes to drop off her box and grab the paperwork before heading back towards the loft. 

Since Sokka had the parking spot today, Katara had to park on the street. Luckily, there was an open spot a few feet from the building door that Katara was able to snag. Feeling triumphant, Katara got out of her car and closed the door, making her way to the sidewalk. She wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings though, because just as she got on the sidewalk, she felt someone slam directly into her.

“Ouch!” she cried, stumbling slightly. 

A hand reached out and caught her, grabbing her upper arm to keep her steady.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” she said turning to face whoever decided to run her over. She was rather surprised, though, when she locked eyes with Zuko.

“Sorry, Katara,” he said, an embarrassed grin on his face. His hood was pulled up over his face, and it was a bit too big as it was clearly obscuring his vision. “Didn’t - didn’t see you.”

Katara sighed as she looked at Zuko. “Maybe you shouldn’t be wearing the hood in this hot weather?”

Zuko shrugged, but pulled the hood down off his head. 

“Better?” Katara asked, feeling herself smile softly. 

“I mean, I can still barely see,” Zuko replied, pointing to his left eye. “But, yeah, a little better.”

“Good,” Katara replied. 

Zuko just nodded in return.

Katara opened her mouth, ready to ask what was wrong, what happened to cause him to go on a run, but she closed it quickly. Sokka, Suki, and Aang were right: don’t interfere.

“You left Mai upstairs,” she said instead, motioning with her chin towards the building. 

“Shit, yeah I did,” Zuko replied, running his hand through his now sweaty hair. “She’s going to be pissed at me.”

“I mean, if you tell her what happened, I’m sure she will understand,” Katara assured him as the two fell into step towards the building.

“Maybe,” Zuko murmured, opening the door to allow Katara inside. 

She thanked him as she walked through, Zuko coming in behind her. He followed her to the elevator, stood next to her as she pressed the button. When the elevator arrived, he leaned against the wall of the elevator, staring at the numbers blinking at each floor.

“You okay?” Katara asked him, resting a hand on his arm. 

“Just tired from my run,” Zuko replied, eyes still on the numbers. 

“Oh.” Katara dropped her hand from his arm. He wasn't going to tell her what happened, why would he? It was none of her business. 

When the elevator reached the fourth floor, they walked to the loft together, Katara opening the door when they reached 4D. Aang was gone, Sokka and Suki were still sitting at the kitchen table, their heads bent over their wedding materials, but this time Mai was sitting on the couch, her legs crossed as she stared at her phone. 

“Um, I’m back,” Zuko announced, more to Mai than anyone else.

Mai looked up. “Have fun?”

“Yeah.” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I was supposed to be getting ready for dinner. I can go do that now.”

“No worries,” Mai replied, standing up from the couch and making her way towards him. “I actually just got an email from my boss. She wants me to come in for a little bit to work on something.”

“Oh, uh, now?” Zuko asked, hand still on the back of his neck.

“Yep,” Mai replied, kissing Zuko quickly on the cheek. “So I’ll call you later.”

“Uh, yeah, okay,” Zuko said, watching Mai as she grabbed her purse by the door. She gave Zuko one last wave before turning and walking out of the loft. Zuko bit his lip. “I’m going to go shower.”

He walked towards the bathroom, leaving Katara standing alone staring after him. 

“Katara…” Sokka sang, causing Katara to look towards him. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“Sokka, she didn’t even ask if he was okay,” Katara pointed out. “Can I just ask if he’s okay? If he wants to talk?”

Sokka sighed, but looked at Suki. “Babe, do you want to weigh in?”

“Well,” Suki said, considering Katara a bit. “What’s the harm of asking what’s wrong? Either he answers or he doesn’t right? Maybe he does need to talk about whatever caused him to become upset.”

“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Sokka agreed. “Okay, Kat, you can ask him what’s wrong, but please, don’t give him relationship advice.”

“I think I’m the last person to be doing that, don’t you think?” Katara asked her brother, crossing her arms. 

“Another good point,” Sokka replied, snapping his fingers. “Now leave us alone, we have chairs to pick!”

“Ugh, who knew choosing  _ chairs  _ was part of wedding planning,” Suki grimaced. 

Katara laughed, but left her brother and soon to be sister-in-law alone. She could wait for Zuko to finish his shower, but she wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering him. 

When she got to the bathroom, the shower was still running. 

“Zuko?” she called out. “You’re not trying to drown yourself in there, are you?”

Zuko poked his head out from behind the curtain, gripping it in front of him so Katara couldn’t see anything. She noted his wet hair covering his forehead, dripping water into his eyes.

“Ah, you’re alive,” Katara commented, grinning at him. 

“I am,” Zuko stated. “I’m having an existential crisis shower.” 

“Oh no, a run  _ and  _ an existential crisis?” Katara asked, raising her eyebrow at him. “That is not a good combination.”

Zuko sighed and went back into the shower; Katara could tell that he was trying to avoid her eye. 

“You want to talk about it?” she asked him. “I mean, not right now, but when you’re done?”

“Maybe,” Zuko replied, the sound of the water drowning out his voice. 

“If you do, you know where to find me,” Katara told him, starting to make her way out of the bathroom.

“Wait, Katara,” Zuko called out.

Katara turned to see Zuko poking his head out from behind the curtain once more.

“I’ll be in your room in a few,” he told her. 

“Okay,” Katara replied. “Make sure you have clothes on, though.”

“Hey, nothing you haven’t seen before,” Zuko teased, the spark in his eyes returning. 

Katara rolled her eyes before making her way out of the bathroom, leaving Zuko to finish up with his existential crisis.

* * *

Just as he promised, Zuko knocked on Katara’s open door ten minutes later. Katara, who was sitting on her bed reading a book, looked up and motioned for him to come in. 

“Mind if I close the door?” Zuko asked, his hand on the doorknob. 

“Go for it,” Katara replied, placing her book down on her nightstand as Zuko closed the door. 

She moved over on her bed and patted the seat next to her. Zuko’s lip twitched, but he walked over and sat down next to her, stretching his legs out next to hers.

“Won’t lie, I always thought your bed was more comfortable,” Zuko told her, leaning up against her pillows and placing his hands behind his head. 

“Yes, it is,” Katara agreed, elbowing Zuko in the ribs. “But you were often too lazy to leave your own bed to come to mine.”

Zuko shrugged casually. “Maybe it was laziness, maybe I just liked seeing you in my bed. You have no idea which.”

Katara bit her lip, feeling herself go red. “I don’t think we can talk like this anymore, can we?”

“Probably not,” Zuko stated, looking over at Katara. “Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Katara assured him. “But you’re here to talk about you. That is, if you want to tell me?”

Zuko sighed, moving his hands from behind his head and to his lap. “It’s just… it’s not  _ bad _ , I guess, it’s more… what happened after.”

“What do you mean?” Katara asked. 

Zuko swallowed. “I really wanted to talk to Mai about this.”

Katara’s heart sank. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Wait, no,” Zuko replied, grabbing Katara’s hand. “Not that I meant I don’t want to talk to you, more than I thought she would be worried, you know?”

“I get it,” Katara replied, pulling her hand away from Zuko’s. “We all kind of told her that you going on a run was a hint that you were upset.”

“I want to ask what she said, but I also don’t,” Zuko replied, running a hand down his face. “Screw it, what did she say?”

“Well, first she said that no one in this loft emotes in a normal way,” Katara explained, causing Zuko to chuckle. Katara looked at him.

“Is she wrong?” Zuko asked.

“No, she’s not,” Katara replied, grinning. 

“Anything else?” 

“I asked her if she was worried about you and she said no,” Katara told him. 

Zuko winced and looked away from Katara. “Yeah, sounds like Mai.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?” Katara placed a hand on Zuko’s arm. 

Zuko shrugged. “A little, but she’s always been like that. I guess I’m not really surprised.”

“But she’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?” Katara asked him, suddenly remembering her promise to Sokka and Suki. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be inserting myself like this.”

“What do you mean?” Zuko turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised. 

“It’s not my place, that’s all,” Katara told him, dropping her hand from Zuko’s arm. 

“I guess I was hoping she would ask what was wrong, but I’m not surprised when she didn’t,” Zuko sighed. “I’m disappointed, sure, but not surprised.”

“I’m sorry.” Katara was sorry, but she wasn’t exactly sure why. She wanted to throw her arms around Zuko, hold him tightly against her and assure him that everything was okay, but she didn’t. Not only that, but a little voice in her head popped up, telling her that she should try and convince Zuko to break up with Mai. She squashed that voice quickly and turned her attention back towards Zuko.

“I have you, though, don’t I?” Zuko asked her, giving her a soft smile. 

“Yeah,” Katara replied, returning his smile. “You have me.”

Zuko took her hand in his again, squeezing it tightly. These small gestures, these lingering touches, should not be allowed any more. He was dating Mai, Katara was hooking up with Jet. Katara and Zuko are done, they were never getting back together. 

Right?

“It was my dad,” Zuko said finally, his hand still squeezing Katara’s.

It’s then Katara realized that he wasn’t holding her hand because he had feelings for her, he was holding her hand so that he could stay grounded. Katara was the only person tethering him to real life right now. 

“Somehow, he got my phone number,” Zuko explained, taking a sharp breath in. Katara’s grip tightened around Zuko’s hand. 

“I’m so sorry, Zuko,” Katara said softly. “That’s awful. Do you - do you want to tell me about it?”

“That’s why I’m here, isn’t he?” he asked, looking down at their interlocked hands. He took another deep breath before continuing. “I don’t know how he got my number, maybe he’s always had it, who knows, but he called me. I didn’t recognize the number, plus I was getting ready to head out with Mai, so I let it go to voicemail. When I was done changing, I opened my voicemail and... “

“It was him,” Kataa finished. 

Zuko swallowed. “Yeah. It was him.”

“What did he do? Or say?” Katara asked. Zuko’s hand was gripping hers so tightly she was sure it was going to fall off, but she didn’t say anything.

“What he always says,” Zuko explained. “Called me a disgrace, a nobody, a worthless piece of shit that’s going to go nowhere in life.” 

“Where the hell did that come from?” Katara asked, incredulous that a man would just randomly call up his own son to spew hate. 

Zuko chuckled darkly. “There was no motivation, he just called me. Maybe it has something to do with me helping Azula, maybe he heard about me becoming manager of the bar, maybe he just wanted to screw with my head. I don’t know, Katara, but it sucks.” 

“Well, what are you going to do now?” Zuko had finally let go of Katara’s hand and he was running his hands over his face in thought. Katara watched him, noticing how he lingered on his scar, his fingers stroking it softly as if trying to remind himself of how awful his father was. He noticed her watching him, but Katara didn’t look away, just continued watching him with a frown on her face.

“I’m not going to do anything, Katara,” Zuko answered finally. “I’m not going to change my number, or block his number, or call him back or anything. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he can still get to me. Because if he knows that his actions still affect me, well, then I already lost.”

“You’re a much better man than he is, Zuko,” Katara told him, scooting closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder. 

Zuko’s head fell on top of Katara’s. “I hope to be. But when I finished listening to the voicemail, I just needed to clear my head, I needed to get his words out of my brain. I had to remind myself that he can’t get me anymore.”

“No, he can’t,” Katara agreed. “But it is really worrying when you walk out of your room with running bottoms and your sad hoodie on.”

Zuko laughed. “I can see why someone who never runs and has a designated sad hoodie walking out his room ready to run as many miles as he can could be concerning.”

“At least you know!” Katara stated, laughing along with Zuko. “But I’m sorry this happened, it sucks that he still has this power over you.”

“I have my uncle,” Zuko told her. “He’s more of a father to me than Ozai ever was. I just kept reminding myself of that during my run. That and I have you.”

“Me?” Katara asked, moving her head from Zuko’s shoulder and looking up at him. She could see a steady blush creeping up his neck.

“You helped me the last time he showed up, remember?” Zuko reminded her. “You, uh, helped me with that panic attack.”

For some reason, Katara didn’t think that Zuko was telling the whole truth, but she didn’t question him. Instead, she just nodded and placed her head back on his shoulder.

“I should talk to Mai about this, right?” Zuko asked her. “She’s my girlfriend, she should know.”

“If you want to tell her, you can,” Katara said, “but don’t feel like you have to.”

“I should definitely talk to Azula though,” Zuko said, more to himself than to Katara. “She needs to know.”

“Sure,” Katara stated. 

Zuko sighed and moved away from Katara, causing her head to lurch slightly. She recovered in time to see Zuko slide off her bed and stand up. 

“Are you going now?” Katara asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll text her quick and see if she’s home,” Zuko explained, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “And, uh, thanks, Katara. You always know just what to say.”

“Yeah, of course, Zuko,” Katara replied.

He gave her one last smile before he opened her bedroom door, typing with one hand on his phone as he did. When he was gone, Katara sighed and fell onto her back, throwing her arms over her head as she stared at the ceiling. 

They were still friends, she told herself. She was allowed to help him. She didn’t give him relationship advice. Everything was fine.

Groaning, Katara sat back up and grabbed her phone that was sitting on the nightstand. Quickly, she scrolled through her contacts, her finger hovering over Jet’s name. Taking a deep breath, she dialed his number, waiting for him to pick up. 

* * *

Azula had been sitting in her living room curled up in a ball with some ice cream when she received Zuko’s text. Despite communicating with her via text, Azula could usually read Zuko’s mood no matter what form of communication he used, and she could tell that whatever Zuko needed to tell her was important. 

When he arrived at the apartment fifteen minutes later, Azula was properly dressed and ready for whatever bad news Zuko had to tell her. Though, before he even said anything, she had a feeling she already knew.

“Ozai,” Azula stated as soon as Zuko walked through the door. 

“Yep,” Zuko replied, making his way over to the couch and collapsing on it. 

Azula joined him, sitting on the opposite side bringing her knees close to her. She wasn’t surprised that Ozai had called Zuko, wasn’t surprised about what he had said either. Honestly, she was expecting her own phone call at some point, but she was secretly thankful that Zuko got the call first. Was she being selfish? Maybe. But at least she now knew when to expect it. 

“I just don’t understand him,” Zuko was saying. “I’ve been cut off from him for  _ years  _ and he still pulls this shit. What does he have to gain?”

“He could be slipping,” Azula suggested. “When Ozai tends to feel like he is being threatened, he goes for someone weaker to feel more in control. I’ve seen it happen plenty of times.”

“Yeah, that could be it,” Zuko replied thoughtfully. “What could be happening that he felt like he needed to come after me?”

Azula shrugged. “Hell if I should know. He cut me off too.”

Zuko winced. “Right, sorry, Azula.”

“I don’t care,” Azula snapped. “I’m better off without that abusive piece of shit anyways.”

“Yeah, you are,” Zuko agreed, giving her a small grin, making Azula feel bad for snapping. 

“Thanks,” she muttered.

Behind them, the front door opened and Mai stalked in, dropping her purse on the floor. She saw Zuko sitting on the couch and paused, tilting her head to the side.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him.

“I needed to talk to my sister,” Zuko answered, but Azula noticed a hint of ice in his voice as he did. 

_ Ah, a lover’s quarrel, _ she thought. Well, Azula was not one to get in the middle of arguments, so she excused herself from the living room and went to her room. But she kept her door open a crack,  _ just  _ in case there was some yelling. 

When Azula was gone, Zuko stood up off the couch, staring at Mai with his arms crossed in front of him.

“What’s your deal?” she asked him, mirroring Zuko’s position. 

“You’re not even going to ask me what happened,” Zuko stated, shaking his head. “Do you even care?”

“Did you want to talk about whatever was bothering you?” Mai drawled, arching a thin eyebrow. “You didn’t say that when you got back to the loft.”

“You didn’t ask!” Zuko scoffed. “Just said you had to go and then left!”

“Agni, Zuko,  _ I  _ left?” Mai snapped, throwing her hands up. “You were the one who just walked out of your room and went on a damn run without saying anything!”

“I was upset!” Zuko said loudly. 

“So you just leave?” Mai snapped. Though her voice was steady, she was still somehow terrifying. Zuko thought he would rather have Mai yelling at him. 

“My roommates -” Zuko started, but Mai just cut him off, walking towards him and jabbing a finger to his chest.

“Your  _ roommates _ had to be the ones to tell me you were upset,” Mai stated, her finger digging into his chest. “You didn’t say anything, just walked out. What else am I supposed to do?”

“You could have asked!” Zuko exclaimed, taking a step back from her. 

Mai shook her head. “Your feelings are not my responsibility, Zuko. I don’t just  _ know  _ when you’re upset.”

Zuko didn’t reply. Sure, she might not be familiar with how he emotes just yet, but he didn’t really like how she said his feelings weren’t her responsibility. She’s not wrong, necessarily, but shouldn’t she be trying to build him up, not break him down?

“Listen, we know what to do next time,” Mai stated, herself taking a step back from Zuko. “Now I know what you do when you’re upset, and I can ask. Better?”

No. “Yeah.”

“Great,” Mai said. “So, what happened then?”

“So you care now?” Zuko asked, still not letting anything go. He didn’t want to let her off this easy. 

“Zuko, what the hell?” Mai exclaimed. 

“Just making sure you’re asking because you care,” Zuko told her, shrugging. “And not because I’m forcing you or anything.”

Something in Mai’s jaw jumped. To be honest, this was the most amount of emotion Zuko’s ever gotten from Mai. 

“So?” Zuko asked her, hands out with his palms up, motioning for her to answer.

“I want to know,” Mai answered, but Zuko knew she wasn’t being totally honest.

_ We don’t talk about our feelings _ , he thought to himself. 

“My dad called me,” he told her, placing his hands in his pockets. “Left me a nasty voicemail. I went on a run to clear my head.”

“That’s it?” Mai deadpanned, crossing her arms and looking up at him. 

“Yep,” Zuko replied, staring back at her. 

She wasn’t going to ask what Ozai had said, wasn’t going to ask how Zuko felt about his estranged father calling him, wasn’t even going to ask if he was feeling better. If she did, Zuko might die of shock.

“I’m fine by the way,” Zuko told her, just in case she did want to know, but wasn’t going to ask out of spite. “I talked to Katara -”

“Of course you did,” Mai scoffed, causing Zuko to blink. “I’m not surprised.”

“What, do you have a problem with that?” Zuko snapped. “Because she’s my friend and, unlike you, she cares about me.”

“I don’t care who your friends are,” Mai told him, shrugging lightly. “I’m just not surprised you talked to her. I know she’s important to you.”

Zuko blinked again. “I - well, yeah. I guess so.”

“And I’m assuming that’s what you came to talk to Azula about?” Mai asked, pointing with her thumb towards Azula’s room. 

Zuko nodded.

“So, you’re fine?” Mai asked him. 

“Yeah.” Zuko sighed. “I’m fine.”

“All right,” Mai said, “then let’s go get dinner.”

“Yeah, okay,” Zuko agreed, following Mai as she walked towards the door. 

She grabbed her purse, but before she opened the door, she turned around quickly to place a tentative kiss on Zuko’s lips. Surprised, he kissed her back, allowing her to deepen the kiss slowly. 

“Are we okay?” she asked when she pulled away.

No. “Yeah.”

She smiled and kissed him again, pulling his collar so that he would come closer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I didn't have a lot of conflict between Mai and Zuko in the original work. Not that they needed conflict, just more evidence as to how they never talk about their feelings. That, and Mai knows how Zuko feels about Katara. 
> 
> Really I just needed an excuse to write that iconic scene. Here is the video from New Girl if you want to see how well it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAXS7rSrY4A


End file.
